Unwritten
by donttakemywordforit
Summary: This story is set during the final two arcs of the Fairy Tail series. Original content intertwined with the original story. Basically, some parts will be the same and some parts will be different. Primarily Nalu focused.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever.**

 **That being said, welcome to the first chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 _Don't trip Lucy. Don't trip. Lucy Heartfilia was doing something very bad. Something that she knew she would get in trouble for. She had snuck out of her bed in the middle of the night. The ten-year-old couldn't help it; she was cold. She wanted to find her mother, in the hope that she would let her sleep in her room since her father was away on a business trip for a week._

 _Unfortunately, the downside to sneaking around at night was that you had to do it in the dark. In the Heartfilia mansion, that meant climbing down the stairs in the dark. Thankfully, once she got down the stairs, she could see her parent's room up ahead. The light was still on, so that had to mean that her mother was still awake. Lucy peeked into the room and saw that her mother Layla was in fact at her desk. It looked like she was reading some papers._

 _"Mommy," Lucy whispered. Her mother paused, put the paper down, and turned around. She gave her daughter a warm smile._

 _"Couldn't sleep, sweetheart?" Layla asked. Lucy stepped into the room and walked over to her mother._

 _"It's so cold in there," Lucy complained. "I want to sleep in here with you. At least for tonight! You and Daddy's is always so warm and comfy." It was true, Lucy felt at peaceful after just being in the room for a few minutes. Lucy looked up at her mother's face, and that's when she noticed it._

 _"Mommy, is everything alright? " She asked as she touched her mother's cheek. "Are you sad? Your eyes are red." Gently, Layla took her daughter's hand and kissed it._

 _"Quite the opposite actually," Layla answered sincerely. "I'm happy. I'm happy to have seen how much you've grown. You're going to be an amazing person Lucy."_

 _"I'm going to be just like you," Lucy declared, and her mother laughed._

 _"Oh Lucy, I want to walk your own path." Layla then pulled her in for a hug._

 _"It's all up to you." Lucy frowned, something was wrong. Her mother's voice sounded different. She pulled back and screamed. Her mother's smiling face was replaced with a sunken, sick looking one._

 _"It's all up to you," She repeated, then she shriveled up into a powder and blew away. Lucy was stunned. Her parent's bedroom had disappeared, and now everything was pitch black._

 _"It's all up to you."_

 _"It's all up to you."_

 _"It's all up to you." All of these voices kept repeating that phrase to her._

 _"Stop it," Lucy exclaimed. "Stop!"_

 _"It's all up to you."_

 _"It's all up to you."_

 _"It's all up to you."_

"STOP IT!"

Lucy sat up and succeed in banging heads with a pink haired fire dragon slayer who was peering over her.

"Ow," The two wizards exclaimed.

"Jeez Lucy your head is rock hard," Natsu stated while rubbing his forehead. Lucy glared at her friend.

"Hey shut up! Why were you leaning over me while I was sleeping anyway?"

"You were screaming in your sleep Lucy," Her other friend Happy explained. "You woke both of us up. We're lucky we're camping instead of sleeping in an inn like you wanted to or else you would have made a lot of people angry."

Lucy's shoulders slumped, "Sorry guys. It won't happen again."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Natsu asked. "What if you have it again?" Lucy looked at the two of them and smiled. She couldn't help but think about how nice it was to around them again. She missed this, but that didn't mean that she wanted to spill her guts out about the nightmare that she just had.

"I'll be fine," Lucy replied simply and laid back down. She heard them leave her, but then she heard something being dragged. She sat up again and saw that the two of them had set up their sleeping bag directly next to hers.

"What are you guys doing?" She asked.

"Going to sleep," Natsu answered simply.

"Yeah, I can see that," Lucy said. "I'm just wondering why you guys are so close."

"So we can shut you up when you scream again," Happy stated.

"That's it! Come here cat!"

"Natsu! Lucy's going to throw me into the fire," Happy exclaimed.

"We just…..want to make sure that you're okay," Natsu said he laid down with his back towards Lucy. "Right Happy?"

"Uh-huh." The blue exceed snuggled into his pillow. In an instant, the two of them were fast asleep.

Lucy smiled, "Thanks, guys."

The next day, the three of them set off once again on their path to resurrect their guild. Lucy yawned for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. While she didn't have that nightmare again, she still couldn't completely relax.

"It's all up to you." The celestial wizard shivered as she heard those words again in her head. She glanced over Natsu, who was happily eating some of the leftover roasted fish that they had caught for lunch. Happy was sitting on his head, eating a raw fish with an identical expression on his face.

Unbeknownst to Lucy, Natsu had been keeping a close eye on his teammate. He didn't want to make it obvious, have her think that he was being pervy, and get punched in the face. He just remembered how tortured she looked when she had that nightmare. She screamed! Even though she said that she was fine, he could still see that she was still a little off. It wasn't noticeable outright, but he's known Lucy long enough to know when something is bothering her.

It wasn't long before they had made it to Tuly Village.

"Let's stop here for the night," Lucy declared as she looked around at the small town.

"Aye," replied Happy. "What's wrong Natsu?" The dragon slayer seemed fixed on the large clock tower sitting in the middle of town. Lucy turned to look at it as well.

Why does it look so weird? She thought.

"Ah, that's the clock tower you broke once huh?"

That explains it.

"Yeah, it's great that they got it fixed."

"It makes a really weird boundary line now though."

"Yeah."

Lucy narrowed her eyes, His face...don't me….

"Maybe I should destroy it again."

"Oh no you don't," Lucy exclaimed, hitting him on the back of the head. "We don't need to give the people a reason to chase us out of town!"

"There's not enough action here," Natsu exclaimed. "How the hell did those people win the Grand Magic Games? It's a joke! So much for crushing Gray and challenging Erza and Laxus when we're back together! Argh! Wait….Lucy, you're a wizard."

Lucy rolled her eyes, "Glad you remembered."

"Fight me!"

"No…..is what I'd like to say to you, but I've been doing a little training myself," She informed him.

"Really?"

"I don't think I'd be able to beat you going all out, but I'd be down to have a sparring match," She said. "Now when-"

"Wait a minute," Natsu interjected. Lucy saw that he was looking off somewhere.

"What?"

Suddenly, he turned and blew fire right between her legs.

Eek! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!

"What was that all about?"

Natsu had a smug look on his face, "Nothing, don't worry about."

"Don't worry about it? You could've burnt me!"

"But I didn't," Natsu argued. "I can control my magic you know."

"Oh really? Let's ask that clock tower."

"Silly Lucy, that clocktower can't speak. It's not like Horologium."

"It was a figure of speech Happy!"

"Hey, guys why don't we stay here?" Natsu pointed in the direction of the Kotoko Inn. Before they even answered he already started making his way there. Lucy and Happy followed him.

"Natsu, what about our match? I've become strong too!"

"Sorry Lucy, not interested," Natsu answered nonchalantly. Though, for a moment he wondered if he could even spar with her without worrying about hurting her. That would be the last thing he'd want to do, even if it were an accident. He knew she was strong. He knew she could take it. He was just wondering if he could take it… Natsu shook his head; there was no reason to worry about that now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever.**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it!**

"You don't know where any of them are!?" The three of them were sitting in their room in the inn. Natsu and Happy had their mouths open in shock. They had gone on this journey believing that Lucy knew exactly where everyone was.

Lucy flipped through all of her notes, "Well yeah, I did keep an eye out but it was impossible to get everyone." It wasn't like there were five members in Fairy Tail after all. She stopped on one page and scanned it.

"First things first, we have to reach Margettown, which is south-east of here," She informed her teammates. "That's Lamia Scale's town." Natsu jumped up, finally a place where there were people that he could fight!

"Yay! We get to see the doggy guy," Happy exclaimed.

"Why are you so excited to see the dog guy Happy?" Lucy asked.

"He's just _weird_."

"Weirder than a talking cat?"

"I'm an exceed Lucy," Happy reminded her matter-of-factly. "I know that it's been a year but I would have thought you would have remembered that."

" _Anyway_ , guess who else is in Lamia Scale?" Lucy asked.

"Who?" Happy and Natsu asked.

"It's…..never mind."

"What!"

"Why? Would you do that to us Lucy? I thought you were our friend!" Lucy start laughing as they tried to look at her notes.

"It's not written in there guys, so good luck finding out that way," She said.

"You know what it's probably Gray," Natsu decided.

"Yeah," Happy said. "He is friends with Lyon. That means we'll find Juvia there as well."

"Yes! Finally I get to fight Gray," Natsu yelled.

That night, after grabbing something to eat they came back and got ready for bed. The three of them were settled in and finally snores filled the room. Lucy could confirm that….since she was wide awake. It wasn't that she wasn't tired…..she definitely was. She just couldn't close her eyes without seeing her mother's face shrivel up into powder and blow away.

Ugh, was this going to be a recurring nightmare. Why now? Why her? She wasn't a little kid, she shouldn't be afraid of this. She just couldn't help it. She turned over in bed and faced the wall opposite of where her friends were sleeping.

 _Go to sleep Lucy! Go to sleep Lucy!_ She chanted this to herself and tried to relax. That's when she felt a something in bed with her. Thinking that it was Natsu she turned around quickly to push him out and saw that it was a sleeping Happy. He was on her pillow. Lucy looked over and saw Natsu looking at her.

"Why-"

"You don't have to talk about whatever's bothering you if you don't want to okay? Just leave Happy on your pillow? He missed you and it makes him feel better when you're nearby." Before she could even answer, Natsu turned and laid back down. Lucy looked down at the sleeping blue exceed and saw how peaceful he looked. She smiled.

 _Happy really could be adorable….almost Plue level._

She looked over at Natsu's back.

"Natsu, thank you," She said before laying back down again.

It wasn't long before Lucy fell asleep. Hearing her calm breathing, Natsu smiled and went back to sleep himself.

The next day, Lucy, Natsu, and Happy had made their way down to Margarettown and were now roaming through the busy city. Lamia Scale's Thanksgiving Parade was that day and everyone in town was celebrating the festival.

"Wow it's crowded," Happy commented, he was again perched on Natsu's head in an attempt to stay out of the way.

"It reminds me a little of Magnolia's Harvest Festival," Lucy commented, trying to stick close to Natsu without actually grabbing onto him.

Natsu frowned, this wasn't anything like the Harvest Festival. Fairy Tail did it better.

"Where's Lamia Scale again?" Happy asked.

"It should be straight ahead and to the right," Lucy replied. "If I remember correctly." It was getting bad. It seemed like the closer they got to the guild hall, the more crowded the streets got. It was then that Lucy made the decision to push away her embarrassment and grab Natsu's arm. She knew she couldn't lose them…..not again.

 _Just don't say anything Natsu._

Natsu felt her arm around his arm and froze for a split second. Then, he regained his composure. It was fine, she was just trying to help them all stay together-that's all.

"There it is," Happy exclaimed. They had made it to the guild hall and they were just in time to their master being dragged off the stage by Lyon.

 _Not surprising._ Lucy thought as she let go off Natsu's arm.

"N..Next, the one that you've all been waiting for. Our guild's very own angels," Yuka Suzuki announced. "The sky sisters Chelia and Wendy!" On cue, the crowd roared as the sky god slayer and the sky dragon slayer walked onto the stage.

"What!" Happy and Natsu were shocked to say the least. Lucy, on the other hand, knew that Wendy and Carla had joined this guild.

"Wendy was always really good friends with Chelia," She said as she watched the girls begin to perform.

"What the hell is she doing?"

"In a way it's kind of catchy," Happy stated. "It gets stuck in your head."

Lucy rolled her eyes, "Wendy isn't the only one in another guild you know….everyone needs to make a living Natsu. We can't all afford to just pick up and train for a year." Shoot! That _slipped_ , she hadn't really meant it to but at the same time she didn't entirely feel bad about it. She wasn't completely over the fact that he left without saying goodbye. He just left a letter. The last time someone left her a letter like that it was….never mind.

Natsu looked over Lucy, who was keeping her eyes on the stage.

"That's…..not what I meant."

"Explain then."

"What I want to know is why the hell is she on stage forevering," Natsu exclaimed. He looked down at his best friend and cringed. It was too late for him.

"Forever," sang Happy at the top of his lungs.

"That's it," Natsu said. "We're taking Wendy back from the dark side."

Lucy sighed, "Natsu...I hate to break it to you, but she's not doing anything bad-."

"Wait," Happy interjected. "Where's Carla by the way?"

"Huh, good question," Lucy said.

"I knew you guys would come soon," a voice said. They all turned around and saw a girl with cat eyes standing in front of them. She also had a...tail as well.

"Natsu, Lucy, and tom cat," She continued. "Oh sorry….Happy."

 _Huh?_

"I'm sorry," Lucy said. "You'll have to forgive us, but who are you?"

The girl sighed, "Right, I forgot you wouldn't recognize me like this. It's me...Carla."

 _ **What?**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever.**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it!**

"Wait, you're Carla? Wendy's Carla?" Lucy asked.

"Why of course I am," Carla replied matter-of-factly. As if she found it difficult for them to be the least bit confused. The last time they had seen the exceed she was well…..a cat. Now she was standing there in front of them….as a human. The crowd let out a cheer at that moment, and Lucy looked over at the stage. Wendy and Chelia were exiting.

"Oh looks like the performance is over," Carla stated. "Come on; I'll take you all to Wendy." She started making her way through the crowd, and the three wizards followed her.

"So many questions," Natsu commented.

"Ditto," Happy said.

"Same," Lucy agreed. Due to the number of people, it took them a little longer than they thought to get to the entrance of the Lamia Scale guild hall. They walked into a main room that reminded Lucy of Fairy Tail's guild hall. Carla stopped one person and asked where she could find Lyon. The woman pointed him out, and they walked over to him.

The ice make wizard was standing off to the side of the commotion, scanning papers on a clipboard that he was holding.

"Lyon," Carla called. He looked up, and his eyes widened.

"Tell me that isn't Natsu, Lucy, and Happy," He exclaimed with a smile on his face.

"Hello," Lucy greeted him as she waved.

"It's been awhile Lyon," Natsu said.

"How you doing?" Happy asked.

"Well it's been crazy here, as you can see thanks to the festival," Lyon joked. "I suspect you're here to see Carla and Wendy right?"

"Yep," Natsu answered.

"Then, I'll take you all to Wendy," Lyon said, and they followed him out of the main room. They ended up into another area that was off to the side and a bit quieter. Natsu's nose perked up; he could definitely smell his fellow dragon slayer.

"Someone's here for you Wendy," Lyon announced and that's when they saw her. Her face lit up when she saw them as well.

"Yo!"

"It's been a long time Wendy," Lucy said. "Nice to see you!"

"How you been Wendy?" Happy asked as he smiled from ear to ear. Wendy looked like she was on the verge of tears of joy.

"Natsu! Lucy! Happy!" She got up and ran over to them.

"You've gotten taller haven't you?" Natsu asked while patting the young girl's head.

"Not really," Wendy replied. "I haven't changed at all actually. At least, I don't think I have."

"I see…" Suddenly Natsu picked Wendy up and threw her over his shoulder. Lucy's mouth dropped in response.

 _He promised me that he wasn't going to try and kidnap her!_

"Alright, we're going back home Wendy," Natsu stated.

"Wait," Wendy exclaimed as she struggled to get down.

"Put her down Natsu," Lyon demanded.

"Natsu, you promised me that we were all going to sit down and talk about this rationally," Lucy reminded him.

"Lucy, how many times do I have to tell you. When has Natsu ever been rational?" Happy asked, not _that_ much has changed about him in a year.

"Not now Happy!"

Natsu stopped walking, she was right. He had promised her, so he put Wendy down.

"Fine," He said.

Lucy turned to the Lamia Scale members, "Do you mind if we sit down?"

"No, go right ahead," Lyon replied. Lucy sat down, Natsu sat next to her, and Happy sat on the table between them. Wendy came over and sat down across from her former fellow guild members.

"Wendy, can you please hear us out?" Lucy asked.

"Of course," Wendy answered. "Anything for you guys."

They gave her an overview of their plan.

"You're bringing back Fairy Tail?" Wendy asked.

"Yeah, the master's been missing for over a year," Lucy explained. "I'm sure it's got something to do with the disbandment."

"He's apparently gotten into a lot of trouble with the council over some things," Lyon commented.

Natsu shivered, "The council?" Not so happy memories flashed through his head.

"That's right," Lucy said. "You guys were in the mountains, so you don't know."

"You can't be the master of a guild if you're part of the council," Yuka stated. "That's why they choose the ten wizard saints as the councilmen."

"Jura became one too," Toby shouted.

Yuka frowned, "Stop getting mad!"

"The ten wizard saints huh? They must be really strong!" Natsu could feel a fire heating up in his belly as he thought about the challenge.

"So the master is apart of it to then," Wendy concluded.

"Well, he _should_ have been," Lucy explained. "But he went missing."

"Maybe he ran away," Natsu suggested. "It is a hassle. I would have done the same thing." He looked over at Wendy and grinned.

"Old man aside, come with us Wendy," He said. The girl hesitated for a moment and looked down at Happy (who was sitting in her lap).

"What is it, Wendy?" Happy asked.

"I'm sorry," She said. "I'm apart of Lamia Scale now. I can't go with you guys." Natsu and Lucy gasped in unison.

"Wendy!"

"Why?"

Wendy gave them a small smile, "I really am sorry you guys."

"You don't have to feel indebted you know," Lyon stated. "We all knew this day would come."

"We'll miss you," Toby exclaimed, suddenly crying his eyes out.

"Toby stop crying," Yuka said, rolling his eyes. Unable to process what was going on, Natsu stood up.

"What do you mean Wendy?"

Wendy looked down, "I-"

"This is her decision," Carla interjected. "Can you stop being so forceful with her?"

"I'm still confused about that human form," Lucy said.

"Me too," Happy agreed.

"Why are you human," Natsu shouted.

"Oh right," Carla said as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I never explained. I learned transformation magic. It helps me with my magic and psychic powers."

She walked over to Happy, "What do you think?"

"I….I trained too," Happy blurted out. "I learned how to not eat as much fish!"

Lucy frowned, he should never repeat that ever again.

That's when Carla changed back into an exceed and Happy fell to his knees in joy.

"Are you sure this what you want Wendy?" Carla asked, and Wendy nodded. She turned to the other wizards. "Well, there you three have it."

"Good grief," Lyon said.

That night, Lucy, Natsu, and Happy settled into their room at the Viper Inn.

Well….they settled in the best that they could. The events of the day still resonated into each of their minds.

 _What are we going to do?_ Lucy thought. _We can't leave Wendy and Carla. At the same time, we need to respect their wishes right? I don't know...What are-_

She burst out laughing. Something fuzzy was tickling her feet.

"Stop! Stop! That tickles!" When she looked up, she saw that Natsu was rubbing Happy's tail against the bottom of her feet.

"What the hell are you doing, you creep," She shouted as she jumped to her feet and hit both of them on the top of their heads.

"Ouch," Natsu moaned. "That hurt Lucy!"

"Well don't tickle me again!"

"Who would have thought things would turn out this way," Natsu said.

"Aye," Happy agreed.

Lucy frowned, "I wonder if everyone feels like Wendy.." Natsu looked up, saw Lucy's face, and felt his stomach clench. He jumped up immediately, determination coursing through him.

"I won't give up," He said. "I'll just try kidnapping her again."

"Natsu, don't go near her!"

"What else are we supposed to do then," Natsu argued.

"We could leave and come back," Happy suggested. "Maybe they'll change their minds by then."

"But what if they don't?" Lucy asked as she sat down on the bed. "Maybe this whole thing was a bad idea." It has been a year. She may have to face the fact that people have moved on. What if this was all a waste of time? Happy went over and sat in Lucy's lap. He felt a tear hit the top of his head.

"Lucy, please don't give up," He said. Seeing the scene in front of him, Natsu bawled his fist. He just felt angry. Angry that he might be able to fix this. He hated seeing Lucy upset. All he wanted to do at that moment was fix this and make her happy. He knew that she wanted the guild to come back together and if he couldn't do that for her then…..he was a failure. Something had to happen.

At that moment, what sounded like an explosion shook the room.

"What was that?" Happy asked, flying into the air.

"It's coming from the direction of the guild hall," Natsu replied, his senses already in action.

Lucy stood up, "We have to go help them." Happy and Natsu nodded and the three of them left the inn.

The streets were chaos. A few buildings were on fire. People were running from the direction that they were going. It wasn't long before they spotted Lyon.

"What's all the commotion?" Natsu shouted.

Lyon turned around, "Natsu! Lucy! Happy!" Lucy gasped as she saw a monster towering over Lyon. Though, expertly, of course, Lyon took it out with his ice make magic.

"The towns under attack," He told them. "All of a sudden, a horde of monsters appeared out of nowhere.

"Monsters," Happy exclaimed. "Why?"

"It has to be our rivals Orochi Fin!" Wendy, Chelia, and Carla had now joined them.

"We've always been rivals since way back," Chelia explained. "They have sure fallen quite far, using such cheap attacks."

"They must have seen an opportunity now that Jura's gone," Wendy speculated.

"Especially since we've let our guard down because of the Thanksgiving festival," Carla added.

"Damn them," Lyon shouted.

"Hey, Lyon!" Yuka and Toby were running towards them.

"This is only a small fraction," Yuka informed them. "We've got a large group coming from the West side!"

"About a hundred thousand," Toby said.

A hundred thousand! Lucy thought.

"The city won't stand an attack like that," Lyon stated. By this time, their master had joined the group.

"You'd go this far Orochi," She commented. "They have to have a monster tamer with them."

"So if so we take him out-"

"We can't go anywhere near him with many around," Yuka interjected.

"There's still the sky," Natsu suggested.

"Yes," Wendy agreed.

"Carla and I can fly," Happy said. He flew into the air and Carla changed into her human form.

"You're willing to give us a hand?" Lyon asked.

"Course," Natsu replied. "Let's go Happy." As Natsu prepared to let his best friend lift him, he suddenly something hard hit him square in the face.

"Sorry Natsu," Chelia shouted. Lucy's mouth dropped as Happy carried Chelia (not Natsu), along with Wendy and Carla.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever.**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it!**

Lucy looked over at Natsu, who was laying on the ground after getting kicked in the face by Chelia. She began the countdown in her head.

5...4...3...2..

"Gahhh!" Natsu jumped right up. "Damn you! You Happy thief!" He started running toward the horde of monsters. Lucy's eyes widened, she had expected him to jump right up. She hadn't expected him to run straight into danger.

Scratch that.

Maybe she did expect that.

 _Still._

"Natsu w-" Her mouth dropped as she watched him punch and headbutt two monsters. He made easy work of them.

"Whoa," Toby said.

"Incredible," Yuka added.

"He's the real monster here," the dog man exclaimed.

"They're coming," Lyon called. "Don't let your guard down."

 _Alright._ Lucy thought. It _'s finally time for me to show off the results of my training!_

After gaining the Aquarius star dress during her fight with Jackal during the battle against the guild Tartaros, she worked to master the star dress spell for every single one of her spirits. Whatever time she had in between working and keeping track of former Fairy Tail members, she dedicated to training. Looking back, those were probably her favorite times during this past year. Spending time with her spirits was one thing that helped her get through those times when she felt alone. In fact, she knew that they probably sensed her loneliness because there were a few times where some of them showed up randomly to "say hello." Of course, there were times where Virgo showed up and told Lucy that she was sure that punishing her would make her feel better. Lucy promptly refused.

"Here I go," She declared as she pulled out the key. "Open gate of the lion!" As soon as she called out that line, Loke, celestial spirit and Fairy Tail member appeared in front of her.

"Lucy's knight has appeared," He stated. He was wearing his usual suit, tie, and glasses. Lucy then pointed his key to herself.

"And star dress Leo form," She exclaimed, and with that, her entire outfit changed into a long strapless dress. Her blonde hair was pulled into a bun. The form was completed with Leo's zodiac sign appearing on her.

Loke grinned, "You look great Lucy!"

"Oh my! That's just like Erza's magic!" Lucy turned around and saw a few people who had seen her transformation. They were staring at her in awe.

"Actually," Lucy said matter-of-factly. "Not quite, I've just used a little bit of the celestial power on myself."

"How are you going to fight in a dress and heels?" Toby asked.

"She's so hot," Loke exclaimed.

"I'll be just fine," Lucy replied.

"As expected of my-."

"Loke!"

With that, the wizards jumped into action-taking down the monsters in their own unique ways. Lucy readied herself and then ran towards one of the monsters.

"Regulus Lucy Kiiiick," She shouted, and the monster went flying.

"Why a kick?" Toby asked. Lucy shrugged, what could she say? That was her signature move. It works every time.

Except for the few times that it didn't.

Lucy continued to help take down the monsters in town, while her teammate made his way through the horde with one goal in mind.

"I'm coming Happy," Natsu said. That's when he saw him; the exceed was up on some mountain. No doubt he was with Carla, Wendy, and his kidnapper. He was going to teach that girl a lesson.

This meant giving her a stern talking to of course, just like the ones Lucy always gave him and Happy when they broke something in her house. This was always followed by her kicking them out. He made it up to them in a flash and failed to notice that they were all writhing on the ground. The first thing he did was pick up Chelia by her shirt collar.

"Ah!" He looked at the sky god slayer, who looked scared out of her mind.

"Ha found you," He said. "That's right you've been caught. It's not nice to kidnap people's best friends, didn't someone teach you that?" Sure she was young, but she wasn't that young.

"Natsu," Happy called.

"Natsu, you're here," Wendy said. That's when he finally took notice of his surroundings. Every single one of his friends was on the ground. They were acting like there was some weight pushing them down. Natsu didn't quite understand this; he could move around just fine.

"Natsu," Wendy called. "That man over there, he's the one that made us suffer on Tenrou

Island."

"Bluenote," Happy stated. Natsu looked over at who Wendy was referring to. Natsu narrowed his eyes as he looked at the man's face.

"Nope, never seen him before," he said. Not on Tenrou Island, not anywhere.

"No way!"

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I'm not kidding," Natsu said. "I seriously have never seen this guy before. Who is he again?"

"Bluenote!"

Just then Bluenote ran towards them, jumped, and shouted, "Get crushed!" With that, the entire ground crumbled under them, yet Natsu still managed to stay on his feet.

 _What the hell?_ Natsu thought. He then used his flames to raise the ground under him.

"In your dreams Blindnote," Natsu said. "Fairy Tail will never be crushed!" That only made the

wizard mad.

"It's Bluenote," He roared.

"Nobody cares you dick," Natsu yelled, and with that he let him have it. With a single roar, Natsu burned Bluenote Stinger to a crisp.

The fire dragon slayer cleared his throat.

He went down quicker than expected. He thought.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" He turned his attention to Chelia and realized then that he was still holding her by her shirt collar.

"My shirt is on fire," She exclaimed. Natsu dropped her. "Ow!"

"Sorry," He said. "Wait, I'm not sorry. You still need to realize that-"

"Hey Natsu, save the lecture for later and look over there," Happy said as he flew over to his best friend. "There are still enemies left." Natsu turned his attention to the group of wizards who were trembling off to the side.

"We surrender," Their leader shouted. Natsu glared at them.

"Boo," He said. When he uttered that word fire came out as well. When the wizards of Orochi's Fin saw that, they screamed and ran off.

"We should probably get back to the guild." Wendy and Carla had joined them now.

"They've probably gotten rid of all the monsters by now," Wendy continued.

"That's true," Happy agreed. He turned to his best friend. "Natsu, I'm going to take Chelia back while you run on foot." Natsu's mouth dropped, he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"What!"

"Natsu you ran here on foot, and you're perfectly fine," Happy argued.

"And she can do the same!"

"Na-"

"No he's right, I should walk back after what I did," Chelia interjected. "Natsu I'm sorry that I kidnapped Happy. I just wanted to fight alongside Wendy and defend my guild."

Natsu frowned, it wasn't like he couldn't understand someone wanting to defend their guild. He gave in.

"Fine," He said. "I don't mind as long as you promise never to kidnap Happy again."

"I promise."

* * *

All of the monsters were finally gone, which meant that the other group must have taken down Orochi's Fin. Lucy sighed in relief and changed back into her normal clothing.

"Good job," Loke said.

Lucy smiled at her celestial spirit, "Thanks Loke."

"Though I would have loved it if you had just kept that dress on just a little bit longer," Loke said as he put his arm around her. She smacked the back of his head.

"Ow!"

"Sometimes you can go from 0 to creepy really quickly," Lucy stated.

"But not Taurus level creepy right?" Loke asked as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Debatable," Lucy replied.

"What!"

"Lucy!" Lucy turned around and saw Natsu running towards her. He was being followed by Happy, Chelia, Wendy, and Carla.

"Hey it's Loke," Happy exclaimed.

"Long time no see Loke," Natsu said with a grin when he finally caught up to them.

"Same to you man," Loke said. "How was the training for a year?"

"Great," Natsu answered. "We should spar."

"Wait! Wait! Wait," Lucy said. "You won't spar with me, but you'll spar with my celestial spirit?"

"He's not you," Natsu replied simply.

"Well in a way he's an extension of me," Lucy argued.

"Oh really?" Lucy looked over at Loke's face.

"I did not mean whatever you're thinking right now," She insisted.

"Hey!" They all turned around and saw Lyon approaching them. He was following Yuka, Toby, and some more Lamia Scale members.

"You guys really helped us back there," Lyon stated. "Thanks a lot."

"We're glad to be of help," Lucy said. Natsu looked around Margarettown; the monsters really were all gone. He thought back to that Bluenote guy and frowned. He did go down quickly!

"I didn't even get a chance to get warmed up," Natsu complained.

"You got plenty fired up Natsu," Happy countered. Lucy glanced around. Wendy, Chelia, and Carla were no longer with them.

"Don't worry about them," Yuka stated as he watched Lucy look around. "It seems like they've got something to discuss with each other."

 _Maybe there's still a chance that she and Carla will come with us._ Lucy thought.

"You all should go back to your room and get some sleep," Lyon said.

"Are you sure?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, we can take care of everything here," Lyon assured her. They parted ways with the Lamia Scale members, sure that they were going to see them in the morning. Loke returned to the celestial spirit world, leaving the three Fairy Tail members alone.

Lucy quietly walked next to Natsu and Happy, who were talking about what the best fruit was. She wasn't sure how they had gotten onto that topic, but she wasn't surprised that they were talking about food.

She felt a chill bolt up her spine and she paused.

 _What was that?_ She thought.

She turned around, the street they were walking on was relatively empty. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary and shook her head. She was definitely just tired. That's when she felt a hand on her shoulder and she jumped.

"Ah!"

"Lucy!" She came face to face with Natsu. She could see the worry in his eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"What's wrong Lucy?" Happy asked. Lucy closed her eyes, she shouldn't worried them-especially if it's just because she hasn't had a chance to sleep.

"I'm fine," She replied as she rubbed her eyes. "I'm just tired."

Natsu frowned, that's when Lucy noticed that he had both of his hands on her shoulders.

"Lucy you jumped when I touched you," He pressed.

She shook her head and shrugged him off, "Like I said I'm just tired." She completed that statement with a smile before walking off toward where they were staying. Natsu and Happy stayed where they were for a moment, watching her.

"You think she's _really_ tired?" Happy asked.

Natsu turned around and looked at the empty street behind them. Then he looked at the blonde celestial wizard who was walking ahead of them. He began to follow her again and Happy settled onto the top of his head.

"I don't know."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever.**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it!**

Lucy woke up the next day feeling happy. Waking up from a good dream was a great way to start the day. By good dream, she meant a dream that she could not remember at all. She looked over at her sleeping companions.

"Well I guess this means I get first dibs on the bathroom," She said as she hopped out of her bed and climbed over their sleeping bodies.

"Hey, Lucy." She felt a hand wrap around her ankle, she fell backwards and landed right onto Happy.

"Ah!" The exceed jumped ten feet into the air.

"Ow! Natsu what was that for?" Lucy yelled, and the fire dragon slayer sat up.

"Sorry! I just wanted you to grab that apple on the table for me," He explained.

"You could've gotten it yourself," Lucy exclaimed.

"But you were already up."

Happy floated back down onto his pillow; he was rubbing his tail.

"Aw! My tail feels like it was crushed under the weight of Lucy's body," He complained.

"What did you just say cat?"

There goes that happy feeling that she woke up with…..

Natsu, Lucy, and Happy made their way over to the Lamia Scale guild hall after leaving the inn for good. Carla had visited them early that morning and let them know that she and Wendy would be coming with them. They were two members closer to reuniting Fairy Tail.

As they approached the guild hall, they saw that Wendy and Carla were waiting for them outside ready to go. They were not alone though.

"Hey guys," Natsu called.

Lyon looked over, "Good morning." It was 11:30 am at this point.

"Hi guys," Wendy choked out. She looked like she had been crying all morning.

"Thank you for taking such good care of the two of us this past year," Carla said. She was in her human form at the moment.

Wendy bowed, "Yes, thank you very much. I….I...I don't know what to say. This is so selfish!" She started tearing up, and Carla put her arm around her.

"Come on child, pull it together," She urged.

"I'm just so sorry!"

"There's no need to apologize, Wendy; this was all part of our agreement when the two of you joined," Lyon stated. That took Lucy by surprise.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"When we joined, we told them that when the time came, we would eventually leave to rejoin Fairy Tail," Carla replied. "This was only supposed to be a temporary situation."

"Oh," Lucy said. _So Wendy and Carla didn't forget about Fairy Tail._ Realizing that made her feel warm inside.

Chelia took her friend's hands, "Oh Wendy, you're such a crybaby."

"You don't have to worry about your spot in the sky sisters," Toby announced. "I volunteer to fill it."

"That's never going to happen, Toby," Yuka stated. Wendy gave Chelia one last hug.

"Bye," She said when she let go.

"I'm sure I'll see you soon," Chelia assured her. "In fact, I'm sure that I'll see _all_ of you soon!"

"Good luck getting Fairy Tail back together," Yuka said.

"Tell Gray I said hi," Lyon added.

"Well, we don't know where he is right now, but when we find him we'll tell him that you said hi," Happy said. After they finished saying their goodbyes, the five of them started on their journey.

They had made it out of Margarettown and even stopped to eat. All the while, Wendy was crying. Carla had turned back into an exceed at this point and looked over at the sky dragon slayer.

"Wendy, how long do you plan on crying?" She asked.

"I'm sorry," Wendy answered. "It's just that when Fairy Tail disbanded, Lamia Scale treated us so nicely! Then again, seeing Lucy, Natsu, and Happy again just made me so…..happy!"

 _Woah!_ Lucy thought. _She's crying tears of joy and sadness!_

Natsu turned around patted the sky dragon slayer on her head.

"Don't worry Wendy, this is just the beginning," He said. "So we'll get everyone back." Wendy Marvell wiped the tears off her face, and smiled.

"You're right Natsu," She exclaimed, and that made Lucy smile.

 _There he goes again, empowering people._ She thought. That was such a Natsu thing, just a few words from him could inspire you. For a moment, she wondered if he knew that he had that effect on people.

They were making their way east towards Rainfall village, where it rains every day. Lucy had gone through her notes while they had stopped and pinpointed that this was the next town that they needed to go.

"Woah," Happy said when they finally reached their destination.

"It does only rain in one place," Lucy stated.

"How weird," Wendy commented.

Led by Lucy, the group made their way into the rainy village. After a few minutes, Lucy stopped and looked around.

"Wow, it doesn't seem like anyone's here," She commented.

"Maybe nobody lives here anymore," Wendy suggested. Suddenly, Natsu perked up.

"Juvia," He said. "I can smell her; she's that way." Without another word, he started walking again, and they followed him. Soon enough, Lucy could see a figure sitting on a bench in front of a house. As they got closer, it became clear to her who it was.

"Hey Juvia," Natsu called. To Lucy's surprise, Juvia actually got up and started running towards Natsu. She looked like she was about to pull the dragon slayer into a hug, but he put a stop to that.

"Calm down," Natsu said as he put a hand in front of Juvia's face and she inevitably ran right into it.

Lucy smiled sheepishly, "I'm glad you're still the same Juvia."

"How have you been?" Wendy asked. Juvia blinked a few times as if she was seeing them all for the first time.

"Lucy….Natsu...Wendy," She said. "You're all here."

"We're here too," Happy added. Lucy studied her guildmate's face; something was up.

"Juvia, is something wrong?" She asked.

Juvia didn't answer; instead, tears started welling up in her eyes.

"Juvia-" Then, the water wizard passed out. Thankfully, Natsu caught her.

Natsu started shaking her, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Let's get her inside," Wendy urged. "I'm guessing that's her house." Carla flew over and opened the door. Natsu carried Juvia in and laid Juvia in the first bed they saw. After that, Wendy got to work examining her.

"She's got a really bad fever," Wendy informed them. By this time, she and Lucy had changed clothing to allow their traveling clothes to dry. Natsu was already dry thanks to his high body heat. Lucy noticed him sniffing around.

"What's up?" She asked.

"This house smells like Juvia….and Gray," He told her.

"Gray's been here too?" Happy asked.

"We lived…" The three of them turned around to Juvia who had regained consciousness.

"The two of us lived here," She stated. " _Alone_." She reserved a look for Lucy specifically when she uttered that single word.

 _Why does she still think that I want him?_ Lucy thought.

"We trained, ate, worked, and slept together," Juvia said proudly. Wendy gasped and turned bright red. Lucy put her hands over the girl's ears.

"Okay that's it, we don't need to hear anything else," Lucy said quickly. Even she was a little red.

"Well," Juvia continued as if Lucy had not said anything. "We slept in two separate beds. I tried to sleep in the bed with him once, and he kicked me out."

"That sounds like Gray," Happy commented.

"We were happy," Juvia assured them. "Until one day he just went out and never came back. It wasn't sudden at all. He just gradually started going out alone and then one day just never came back. That was half a year ago. I started to wonder if it was because of those markings that began appearing on his body."

"What do you mean by markings?" Carla asked.

"I don't know," Juvia replied. "They were just these black marks that began appearing on his arm and face. He said that it was nothing to worry about but….something felt off."

"I just think that he was a bastard," Natsu stated. "Leaving you all alone like that."

Lucy snorted, "That's funny coming from you." Natsu turned around and looked over at the celestial wizard.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Lucy replied. Her eyes were on the ground. She didn't know where this was all coming from. She thought that she was over the fact that they left her a year. They were going to train, to get stronger. That was good. It was just that they didn't even feel it was worth telling her in person. They just left a note, a dumb stupid note.

"At least we left a will, Lucy," Natsu argued. That's when Lucy turned around and looked him straight in the eye.

"We left a _note_ ," Happy corrected. Though, his correction fell on deaf ears.

"You think that makes it _so much better_ Natsu?" Lucy asked. "Because you pretty much told me that I wasn't worth telling in person. That none of us were worth telling in person. You just disappeared!" She could feel herself starting to cry, and she took a deep breath. She couldn't cry, not now, not again.

"I tried to chase after you two you know," She continued. "I knew that there was no chance that I would catch up to you but….I had to try." That's it; she couldn't hold back anymore. "Sorry, I'll be back in a second." She left the room, and everyone remained silent for a few minutes. They could hear the front door open and close.

Happy frowned, "Lucy wait!" He flew after her.

Natsu just stood there, stunned. Hearing and seeing Lucy upset tore him apart inside. He thought that she understood why they left. Looking back, maybe leaving the note wasn't the best idea in the world. He just thought that it was better than leaving without saying goodbye.

Juvia started crying again.

"Juvia, what's wrong?" Wendy asked.

"I just wish that Gray would come home," She cried. Wendy tried to comfort Juvia by rubbing her head and grabbing her some tissues.

"You need to go after her," Carla stated, looking directly at Natsu.

"What?"

"You heard me," The exceed said. "Right now she is upset because of you. Happy should not be the one that's comforting her right now, and you know it."

Natsu frowned, she was right. Without another word, he left the room. He went outside and saw that Lucy was leaning against the house. Happy was on her shoulder, and neither of them was saying anything.

"Hey," Natsu called. Happy was the only one that looked in his direction, Lucy's eyes remained fixed on the ground. He went over and stood next to Lucy.

"Happy, can we talk alone for a minute?" He asked.

Happy frowned, "Lucy?" There was a moment before she finally spoke.

"It's fine." Happy nodded and then flew back into the house.

For a few minutes, the two of them were just quiet, listening to the rain.

"Lucy I'm sorry," Natsu stated. "I'm sorry that….that we left the way we did. I...we...I just couldn't face you. I couldn't let you come along." Again, there was another moment of silence.

"Why?" Lucy asked.

"Because I….." _couldn't protect you_.

"Because I couldn't protect anyone," He replied.

"How is having Happy along any different than me tagging along?" She asked.

"Because….." There were so many answers floating through his head, but he couldn't guess which one was the right one to say. Would she get upset if he said this? Would she get upset if he said that?

"Argh," He shouted, then he took a deep breath.

"I thought that you would be okay because you had the guild. If I had known that it was going to disband then maybe it would have been different. I don't know," He said. "I just felt so _weak_! I realized after Dad died that it was just going to keep happening over and over. People that I care about we just going to keep getting hurt or _killed_ because I couldn't save them. Dad….Future Lucy…" _Crap, he said too much._ He looked over at her and saw that her eyes were now closed.

"Lucy," He said. She opened her eyes and saw that he was standing in front of her with a determined look in his eye.

"Just know that I'm sorry and that I'll do everything in my power to work to get back the trust you lost in me," He stated.

"Natsu-"

"Just know that," He interjected. It was true, and in his mind, the first step to getting back that trust is bringing the guild together again.

She didn't say anything; instead, she just hugged him. Which surprised Natsu for a moment, but then he wrapped his arms around her. He couldn't stop himself from thinking about how nice this actually was.

"So I guess everything is okay?" The two of them jumped apart, startled by the voice of a certain blue exceed. They turned and saw that Happy was being followed by Wendy and Carla. Natsu and Lucy looked at each other.

"For the most part," Lucy answered. "Is Juvia okay?"

"She's just fallen asleep," Wendy replied.

"We need to find Gray," Natsu announced, everyone looked over at him.

"It's not that I _don't_ want to find him," Happy said. "But are there any leads on where he might be? Where do we start looking Lucy."

Lucy sighed, "Unfortunately, I don't have anything on his whereabouts in my notes."

"That's okay," Natsu said. "I know where we need to start."

"Where's that?" Happy asked.

"We need to go to Sabertooth."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever.**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it!**

Early the next morning, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy went off to the Sabertooth guild hall. They left Wendy and Carla with Juvia, knowing that Wendy was the best person to get the water wizard back on her feet. After that emotional moment the previous day, Lucy was left feeling only confused. Natsu had mentioned that they had to go to Sabertooth that next day and didn't say much of anything else. Seeing as they had no other leads, they had to go with it.

"I see it," Happy exclaimed as he flew next to them. Lucy looked in the direction that the exceed was looking and saw the guild hall.

"It's huge," She commented. She looked at Natsu again and inched closer to him with the intention making of sure that he could hear her.

"Na-" She paused, realizing how close she was to him and she fought to push the feeling of embarrassment back down.

 _Come on Lucy get it together!_ She thought. _You hugged him yesterday!_ Then again, she had done it without thinking, but still.

She shook her head, _Not the time Lucy!_

"Hey Natsu, are you sure the Sabertooth has information on Gray?" She asked.

"Can't say for sure," He replied.

"Wait what? What do you mean by that?"

They were riding on top of a creature that needed help steering when the time came, so you can imagine Lucy's surprise when she found herself face to face with Natsu.

"Natsu the-"

"Listen to me Lucy," He interjected. He had a serious look on his face and determination in his eyes. It reminded her of how he looked yesterday during their conversation in the rain.

"I believe in Gray," He stated. "The thing is, this time I won't get any information unless I stop trusting him."

"Natsu, I have no idea what that means, I-"

"It means…" He leaned closer to her until their foreheads were touching. "It means that I will definitely bring Gray back. This I promise you. Until then, don't ask, please just trust me….even just a little bit." For a moment, the two of them just stared at each other. It seemed like they both completely forgot where they were. That is until Lucy heard:

"Hey, lovebirds look alive!"

Happy's words brought Lucy back down to earth, and she turned bright red. Then she grabbed Natsu and spun him around.

"Look forward stupid," She shouted.

"Gwoh," Natsu exclaimed.

Thankfully, they managed to make it to the Sabertooth guild hall without any accidents. They entered the guild and saw that Sabertooth was busy. Tables were crowded, some members were at the bar, and many were at what Lucy guessed to be their job board.

"Oh my gosh! Natsu, Lucy, and Happy!" Lucy turned around and saw her fellow celestial wizard running toward her.

"Yukino," She chirped. "It's been a long time!"

"That's for sure," She replied. "What brings you guys here?"

"Well we're getting Fairy Tail back together and-"

"Really," Yukino exclaimed. "That's so amazing!" The wizard looked like she was near tears.

"Oh Yukino, you don't have to cry!"

"I'm just so happy for you three!"

"Well look who it is Lector!" Lucy looked in the direction of the voice and gasped. Meanwhile, Natsu and Happy ran right up to the figures.

"Yo Sting," Natsu called.

"What's up Happy!"

"Lector!"

"You haven't changed a bit Natsu," Sting exclaimed.

Natsu laughed, "Neither have you!" Lucy's mouth dropped, that was a complete and utter lie! Did he really not see…...how _round_ Sabertooth's master had gotten?

"Hey Lector, where's Frosch?" Happy asked.

"Oh, Frosch is off on a mission with Rogue and M'Lady-" Lector was interrupted by Natsu picking him up _by the face_.

"Where'd he go?" Natsu asked, with a sudden urgency.

"I dunno!"

"Natsu calm down," Lucy said.

"What are you doing to Lector?" Sting asked. Natsu put Lector down and turned to Sting.

"Look tell me, did they just leave?" Natsu asked. "This is important Sting!"

Sting's eyes widened, "Yeah, maybe 15-20 minutes ago."

"Great," Natsu said. "They could be just approaching the town's entrance; I might be able to catch them!" Without another word, he ran off. Lucy and Happy didn't even have a chance to tell him to wait a moment for them. Lucy turned around to apologize for Natsu's behavior and screamed.

"What happened to you?" She was taken aback by the fact that Sting had returned to his original size so quickly.

"Lucy, it's okay," Yukino assured her. "I used Libra's power on him."

Sting looked over at her, "Wait, you did what?"

"We should probably get going Lucy," Happy stated.

Lucy nodded, "You're right. Nice seeing you guys!" The two of them headed off towards the town entrance, hoping to find Natsu there.

They found him soon enough, but he was dragging Rogue off to some unknown place.

"Natsu wait," Lucy called as she knelt down and tried to settle her breathing. Once she did that, she looked up and observed the reunion between Happy and Frosch.

"Frosch! How you been buddy?"

"Fro's been great!" Lucy smiled and then saw that Frosch was not alone. Standing near the exceed was a familiar looking dark-haired wizard who was considered the strongest member of Sabertooth. She definitely looked drastically different compared to the last time Lucy had seen her.

"Hi Minerva," She said, giving her a small smile.

"Long time, no see," Minerva replied.

"I'm glad to see that you're back in the guild safe and sound," Lucy stated.

"Yeah, Fairy Tail really played a part in helping me find my way back home," Minerva said.

Lucy smiled, "I'm glad." For a moment, the two wizards watched the exceeds laughing with each other. Then, Lucy turned to Minerva again.

"So we visited the guild hall and saw that Sting was...well...what happened to him exactly?" She asked. That caused Minerva to crack a small smile.

"We had our annual Saber eating competition, The Tora-Tora-Tora," She explained. "I won, but Sting definitely got a little puffed up that's for sure."

"Oh, so is that why you guys didn't join the Grand Magic Games this year?" Lucy inquired.

"It was because our master didn't think that it was worth joining if Fairy Tail wasn't in it," Minerva answered. "Everyone in the guild agreed of course."

"Fro thinks so too!"

Minerva smiled, "Frosch was the _most_ outspoken about it."

"Good job Frosch," Happy said, and they all laughed.

"By the way," Minerva continued once they had calmed down. "I want to apologize….for what happened at last year's games. My behavior was completely unacceptable." Lucy's thoughts flashed back to what she could remember from the naval battle during last year's Grand Magic Games before eventually losing consciousness.

Sure, she had been angry at one point about what had occurred. She'd gone through a lot of emotions during that period of time. Maybe at one point, she would have gone off on her, but now as she looked at Minerva-she couldn't bring any negative emotions to the surface.

"Don't worry about it," Lucy assured her. "It was a fight between guild members anyway."

"I still overdid it," Minerva argued.

"I'm not angry with you, believe me," Lucy replied. "So don't worry about it." The two of them smiled at each other.

"You know, it's too bad that Fairy Tail is gone," Minerva stated. "You guys were a great guild." Lucy looked down at her Fairy Tail guild mark and traced it with her finger.

"Fairy Tail isn't over yet," she said. "We're out here trying to get everyone back together."

Minerva's eyes widened, "Really?"

"Happy! Lucy!" Lucy turned and saw Natsu running up to them. He grabbed Lucy's arm with one hand and picked up Happy with the other.

"We're going you two!"

"And where are we going exactly?" Lucy asked.

"Minerva," Natsu called. "Keep an eye on Rogue and Frosch! Don't let them out of the town!" They got back to their ride, and Natsu helped Lucy get on before getting on himself. He looked over at Happy who was already floating next to them.

"You still good with flying Happy?"

He nodded, "Of course." Lucy wrapped her arms around Natsu's waist again.

"I'll tell you two what's going on as soon as we get into the forest. I promise," Natsu said before they headed off to their destination.

They had been riding all day before they finally stopped. Lucy jumped down, along with Natsu. The three of them set up camp.

"Okay Natsu," Lucy said. "You promised."

"I know," Natsu stated. "I talked to Rogue, and apparently they had taken a work request to destroy a group called Avatar." Lucy gasped, she had heard that name before in her research.

"Natsu, do you happen to have the flyer on you?" She asked. He nodded and took it out of his pocket. He handed it to her, and she unfolded it.

"Oh okay," She commented.

"Well, what is it?" Happy asked. "What's this avatar Rogue and the rest of them were supposed to go after." Lucy handed the exceed the flyer before speaking.

"From what I heard, Avatar is a cult of Zeref followers who have been on the rise since the fall of the dark guilds," Lucy explained.

"Zeref?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah," Lucy replied. "They all worship him like he's some sort of god."

"Creepy," Happy stated.

"Huh. Well, I don't know if he has anything to do with this, but I'm all fired up," Natsu exclaimed.

"Hold on, what connection does that job have to Gray's whereabouts?" She asked.

The fire dragon slayer hesitated, "Yeah….about that….you two remember Future Rogue from a year ago right?"

"How could we not?" Happy asked.

"Well before he disappeared, he said that in a year or so...around this time basically we'd be meeting Gray as an enemy."

"An enemy?" Lucy and Happy asked.

"Yeah so, that got me thinking that maybe we'll meet him at the Avatar guild since that's where Rogue was supposed to be," Natsu continued.

"I don't get it, from where Future Rogue came from should have changed by now," Lucy countered. "How could the same thing happen after what happened in Crocus?"

"You remember what Juvia said, dark marks started appearing on him," Natsu said. "He had those on him when we were battling Mard Geer."

"Wait so you knew about that and didn't say a thing?" Lucy asked.

"It wasn't my secret to tell," Natsu answered. "Plus a lot of things _happened_ during that battle. He probably had to learn demon-slaying magic as fast as possible and let some of that evil get into him."

"No way," Lucy said. She closed her eyes and added it all up in her head.

 _Natsu knows what will happen if Gray fights Rogue, so he's doing all this to prevent…_

She opened her eyes when she felt a hand on the top of her head. She looked up and saw Natsu staring down at her.

"Don't worry," He said. "Gray's our friend no matter what happens right?"

Lucy smiled, "Right."

"Yessir," Happy exclaimed. Suddenly Lucy felt a jolt up her spine, and her mother's face appeared in front of her for less than a second. She was there, and within a blink of an eye, she was gone.

"Hey, are you okay?" Natsu asked as he sat down next to her.

Lucy nodded, "Yeah. Totally, completely fine."

"Ugh, I'm so hungry," Happy said suddenly. Lucy heard his best friend's stomach growl next to her.

"Meet too buddy," Natsu agreed. "Let's eat!" As they happily ran over to their packs, Lucy sat there for a minute, pondering over why she had just seen her mother's face.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever.**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it!**

 **"** Let's go!"

"Aye sir!"

"Wait!" Lucy grabbed her two teammates and pulled them back into the bush that they were hiding in. Clearly, the promise to be quiet and _sneak in_ had been forgotten as soon as they arrived.

"What the hell Lucy?" Natsu asked and she rolled her eyes.

"We agreed that we were going to be cautious since we don't even know who we're up against," She explained. "Barging in hasn't worked for us every time and it probably won't now."

"But Gray might be in there," Happy argued. Lucy glanced over at the church where Avatar was hiding out.

"Which is precisely why we need a plan," Lucy stated, she held up one of her golden zodiac keys. "Starting with Virgo." Natsu frowned, now he was confused.

"Wait, why do we need Virgo?" He asked.

"Because she can help us sneak in from under them," She replied.

"Great idea! This is the one that digs holes Natsu," Happy added. "Remember?"

"Oh!"

"Open, gate of the maiden! Virgo!" As always Virgo appeared when her gate was opened, except this time….she was tied up. That completely threw Lucy off.

"Virgo? W-What happened?"

"Who did this to you?" Natsu pressed. "I can beat them up for you!"

"No need to worry about me Princess," Virgo said. "I had some free time, so naturally I decided to punish myself."

"Naturally huh," Lucy said.

"Yes Princess, naturally." The celestial spirit broke free of the rope.

"Natsu and Happy, it's been a while," she said. "How was your trip?"

"It was... fine," Natsu answered, not sure where this was going.

"Aye," Happy added.

"Very good," Virgo responded. "And don't worry Princess was taken care of while you were gone-"

"Virgo-"

"We spent time with her when we could so she wouldn't be so lonely-"

"Virgo!"

"Oh no! Was he not supposed to know that?" Virgo asked. "Princess please punish me, for I have disobeyed you."

"No! No! Stop! Let's just get on with it," Lucy replied, trying her best to focus on the task ahead. She brought the key towards herself.

"Star Dress: Virgo Form," She exclaimed. With this dress, she wore a maid outfit just like Virgo. Her hair was tied into two ponytails and Virgo's symbol was on her arm.

Natsu was surprised and fairly impressed. He knew that Lucy had her celestial spirits with her when she needed to fight, but he had no idea that she could change like that as well.

"Hey," Happy whispered. "She kind of reminds me of a certain scary armored figure."

"Ditto," Natsu agreed. "So what exactly does this do for you?" He asked this question, referring to the outfit that Lucy was wearing. The maiden stepped in before Lucy could answer.

"This dress enables her to use parts of my powers to raise her own magic power as well," She stated. Natsu frowned, maybe he should spar with Lucy when he got a chance, he was curious about how this all worked.

"Alright," Lucy said. "Do your thing, Virgo. We're trying to sneak underground into that church."

Virgo nodded, "I see. As you wish Princess." With that, she dug a hole into the earth. The three of them followed, Lucy, then Natsu, and finally Happy. It didn't take long before they were climbing out into what they guessed to be the basement of the building.

"Thanks, Virgo," Lucy said as she observed the area. The space reminded her of some dark dusty dungeon where they contain criminals. "We need to learn more about Gray while keeping out of sig-"

"Gray I know you're in here! Come out whenever you-" Lucy quickly put her hand over the dragon slayer's mouth.

"Natsu what is wrong with you?" She exclaimed.

"It's time for punishment isn't it princess?" Virgo asked and Lucy let go of Natsu. She slowly turned around and saw Virgo pointing to a random contraption.

"Please try this on me then," She insisted.

"V-Virgo now is not the time," Lucy replied.

"What are you doing at our base?" They all turned and saw a small person with a large black and yellow headpiece. Their face was painted white with red stars around the eyes and they were a blue shirt with black spots. Though what really caught Lucy's attention was what this person was holding in their hands: Mr. Cursey.

It had certainly been a while since she had come across that doll and she had hoped to never see it again. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

"Oh no, it's Mr. Cursey," Happy shouted.

The person grinned, "So you know Mr. Cursey huh? Well, I got this from one of Grimoire Heart's heavyweights as a gift. Pretty crazy right? The world is full of really interesting black magic." They came towards them.

"Be careful," Virgo said. "He's more powerful than he looks." As Virgo said this, Natsu walked up to the small person. His hand became engulfed in flames and next thing you knew-the person was down. Lucy blinked a few times, that happened so fast.

"Sorry squirt," Natsu said. "The only person that I have a problem with here is Gray. I don't have any time to be dealing with anybody else."

"Oh no! Abel!" A bald man with bushy eyebrows dressed in a dark blue robe and a white sash appeared in the room.

"How dare you do this to Abel! I don't even know how you got in here and right now I don't care! You appeared in my training room, which means it's my lucky day," He announced. "Prepare for never ending pain!"

"Whoops! Whoa!" Natsu effortlessly dodged the man's attacks.

"Wooden dragon!" A large wooden dragon came towards the dragon slayer and Natsu stopped it with his foot.

"You call this piece of crap a dragon?" Natsu asked.

 _Of course he had to comment on that._ Lucy thought.

"Sike," The man shouted. "It's actually an iron maiden! Shows you!" The iron maiden was almost like a coffin with big sharp spikes.

"Oh no Natsu!" Happy called. The iron maiden shut on the fire dragon slayer, but the bald guy didn't get to celebrate his victory long. The iron maiden started melting.

"I knew that wouldn't keep him down," Lucy said.

"What! The metal is melting," The guy exclaimed. Natsu came forwarded and punched him in the gut. That sent the man slamming into the wall. The structure shook in response. Another person covered head to toe in armor tried to surprise Natsu, but he took him down in a second as well.

"Wow, he's strong," Virgo commented.

"That's Natsu for you," Happy said. That's when Lucy had an idea. She took three fingers and pressed them to the ground.

"Impossible, we're all powerful black wizards," The man said. "How we-ahh!" He was cut off by the sudden drop. All three black wizards had fallen into holes.

"Oh man, they're not that deep at all," Lucy commented. They were supposed to fall further underground.

"Wait, you did that Lucy?" Happy asked.

"Yeah, Virgo has been teaching me this move where if press my hands to the ground I can make however many holes based on how many fingers I use. When I do, I can make them appear under my targets," Lucy explained. "I can only make up to ten holes for obvious reasons."

"It was a very good try Princess," Virgo stated.

"Thanks," Lucy said.

"What the hell is going on down here?" They all turned around and saw a familiar face.

Natsu grinned, "Long time no see." There was a pause. Then one fist collided with Natsu's face and another fist collided with Gray's. They started fighting.

 _Wait, what?_ Lucy thought.

"You two stop this," She called to no avail.

"What are you guys doing here?" Gray asked as he launched towards Natsu.

"I could ask you the same thing," Natsu answered as he blocked Gray's attack.

"I do what I want!"

"Juvia's waiting for you!"

"Do you think I care!"

"We're _all_ waiting for you," Natsu shouted. "We're bringing back Fairy Tail and we can't do it without you!" Gray punched Natsu.

"That is the stupidest thing that I've ever heard," He exclaimed. "Fairy Tail is done! Get over it!" He shot ice towards Natsu, which he melted away with fire.

"Don't say that," Natsu argued. "All of the memories, all of the friendships are still there! Fairy Tail will always be right here!" He slammed his fist on his heart.

"Well, there you have it," Gray said. "You don't need me then. Just keep Fairy Tail in your heart and move on! I have and you all need to! We aren't friends anymore." That struck Lucy. It struck her harder than she thought it would. Just to hear someone who she had known to be a friend for so long say that...it hurt her. Next thing she knew, she was walking towards Gray wordlessly. She stood in front of him, shaking.

"What is it Lucy?" Gray asked coldly. That's when her hand collided with his face. She slapped Gray.

"I-It wasn't an act and you know it," She shouted. "We still are your friends and we'll always be! Please don't say things like that." She could feel the urge to burst out into tears brimming and she pushed it back.

"I….We-" A jolt of pain erupted in her stomach at that moment. She looked down and it happened again.

"My stomach," She shouted.

"Princess!"

"Lucy!"

"Took a while Mary," Gray said as he turned towards a smiling girl with pink hair.

"I didn't want to interrupt your little reunion Gray," Mary stated sweetly. "That is what this is right? I can gather that these are your friends from that non-existence guild." Lucy couldn't stopped shaking now, it hurt so badly. It was like she was experiencing the worst cramps over and over again.

"Leave Lucy alone," Natsu shouted, but he didn't get very far. He was handcuffed and tied up in chains along with Virgo.

Virgo gasped, "These are magical seals." Happy couldn't help, thanks to him being caught by Abel and Mr. Cursey.

Mary touched Lucy's head and her pain accelerated.

"You all shouldn't have come in the first place," Mary said. "You're just too weak! There's no way that you could have taken on wizards as strong as we are."

"Ahh," Lucy cried.

"Leave her alone," Natsu screamed as he struggled towards them.

"Contain him Goumon," Mary said.

"I'm trying," Goumon replied. "His magic is supposed to be sealed, but he's still so strong!"

"Here's something that'll stop him," A voice said. Lucy felt something on her neck and saw that it was a sword.

"Keep walking and she loses her head," The voice commanded. Natsu stopped, but growled in frustration. Lucy struggled, but she managed to look up and see that a blonde man was staring down at her with cold eyes.

"Good idea, Jerome," Goumon said. "Oh! The pink haired maid disappeared." Natsu turned and saw that Virgo was indeed gone.

"Forget about her," The man said as he forced Lucy to her feet with a sword at her neck. Let's just lock these three up.

"This is what you all get for sticking your noses where it doesn't belong," Gray stated as he shook his head.

"Gray snap out of it! You're being possessed," Natsu exclaimed.

Gray chuckled darkly, "Seriously, you think I'm being possessed? Well I hate to break it to you, but I'm perfectly sane." He took his jacket off to reveal more of the black markings that he was covered with on half of his body. What really shocked the three Fairy Tail members was the fact that his guild mark had been replaced by Avatar's mark.

"I _chose_ to erase my guildmark," Gray continued. "Does that answer your question?"

"You're going to regret that Gray," Natsu replied as he glared at the ice make wizard.

They took them to a cell and threw them in there. Goumon made sure to handcuff Lucy before locking the celling and leaving with the rest of Avatar.

After a few minutes her stomach felt better,s so Lucy adjusted herself and sat up. She looked around. Virgo most likely had been forced back into the celestial spirit world, Natsu was in the corner fuming, and Happy was still out of it.

 _These chains are magic seals._ She thought. _What are we going to do?_

"Hey, are you okay?" Lucy looked up and saw Natsu staring at her with a concerned look on his face.

"My stomach feels better," She answered. "Other than I'm not okay, this whole situation is not okay."

"Tell me about it," Natsu said and he scowled. "Gray is going to pay for this. What the hell happened to him?"

"Natsu, there has-" Lucy stopped mid-sentence when she heard Happy groan.

"Happy," She said. The exceed opened his eyes and stared up at the celestial wizard.

"Lucy….does your stomach feel better now?" He asked.

Lucy nodded, "Yeah, that's better."

"That's good. What happened to Gray?" Happy asked.

"I was just about to say that there must be a reason for this," She replied. "Maybe he's possessed like Natsu said or he's being manipulated."

"Yeah," Happy said. "Our Gray would never do something like this on his own."

"Be quiet!" Goumon appeared in front of their cell and then bowed.

"He's bowing but there's noone there," Lucy pointed out.

"Creepy," Happy commented.

"Shut up," Goumon commanded and he was met with Natsu violently shaking the cell door.

"Bring Gray here," He demanded.

"Gray is not here anymore," Goumon shot back. "He and everybody left to prepare for the purification ritual."

"Purification ritual?"

"The purification of the soul," Goumon explained. "Death is the only way to attain it and the swell of death will bring Zeref closer to us." He smiled when he said that last part.

"Anyway, I'm here because I've been given the green light," He continued.

"The green light for what?" Happy dared to ask.

"The green light to attain information from you by force," Goumon replied. "Prepare for some pain." He looked over at Lucy who was glaring at him.

"We'll start with her first," He said.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever.**

 **That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it!**

"What! No way," Lucy exclaimed as she tried in vain to back away from him. Turns out that isn't the easiest thing to do when you're handcuffed. Goumon narrowed his eyes.

"Oh so you've noticed," He said.

"That you want to start your weirdness on me? Yeah, you made that pretty clear when you said we'll start with her first," Lucy answered.

"No, not that! You noticed that I'm cosplaying as Zeref," Goumon stated.

"What? No one cares!"

"Well I care," He argued. "My admiration for him is strong and true!"

"You really need to find a new role model," Lucy said before she could stop herself. That made him mad.

"Shut up girl," He shouted. Suddenly, she was being forced into the air by her arms. A chain connected to her handcuffs and allowed her to just hang there.

"Lucy," Happy shouted.

"Let her go," Natsu demanded as he grabbed the bars keeping them in the cell. He was about to start pulling them apart when he felt himself being thrown against the wall. Cuffs appeared over his wrists and he was stuck on the wall. He looked over and saw that Happy was in a similar position as well.

"Don't you touch her," Natsu yelled as he struggled against the cuffs.

"Just shut up and watch the show," Goumon commanded. "You two have front row seats anyway." Lucy kicked him in the back. That surprised him, but it did nothing to deter him.

"Whoa you're feisty," He said. "That's just going to make this even more fun!" He pulled over a table and Lucy gulped as she saw the equipment laid out on it.

"So what method would you prefer?" He asked. "I have quite a few here." He went through each of them.

"There's whipping, candle wax dripping, waterboarding, or even the licking of your feet," He explained.

"You're sick," Lucy said. "I refuse to choose anything!"

"Ha! Ha! You don't have that choice," Goumon sneered.

"Lucy, just go with the foot licking," Natsu suggested as he struggled. "It doesn't sound as bad as the others." Lucy's mouth dropped, she couldn't believe that he just said that.

"No," she cried. "I'm not letting that crazy guy lick my feet! I'll just keep kicking him in the face if I have to."

"Oh I won't be the one licking your feet," Goumon clarified. "I guess I have to explain why this is considered a form of torture."

"We start by dipping your feet in salt water in a fixed position." As he said this, he moved Lucy and laid her down on the cold ground inside the cell. He then placed her feet on some pedestal and tied her feet together. She shivered as she felt cold water on her feet.

"And then a goat will start licking the soles for the salt content." That's when a goat appeared.

"As time goes by," Goumon continued. "The barbs on the tongue will tear through the skin and to the meat. Even then the goat won't stop and will keep going. Come here, friend." The goat started walking towards Lucy

"Stop it," Happy shouted.

"Tell me who sent you here," Goumon demanded. "Before this girl's feet are no more."

"For the last damn time, we're here to take Gray back," Natsu yelled. "Now let her go!"

"Don't make me repeat myself boy," Goumon replied. "Gray is now our comrade!"

"No," Natsu stated. "He's our friend. If he doesn't believe in himself, then we will."

"Forget this," Goumon said as he went over and pushed the pedestal away. Suddenly Lucy felt chains wrapping around her wrists and ankles. Her limbs were spread apart like a starfish. He then raised an ax up into the air.

"Let's see if cutting her in half will get you to start talking!"

"Stop!"

"Lucy!"

Lucy closed her eyes as she waited for the immense pain that was sure to come being split in half. Though, after a moment she risked opening her eyes again and saw that a frozen Goumon was towering over her.

"Jeez," A voice said. Each one of their cuffs and chains was broken.

"Gray," Lucy said. The black markings on his body disappeared and his appearance returned to one that they were familiar with. His Fairy Tail guild mark returned as well.

"I spent all this time here and you guys just had to walk in blowing my cover," He complained as he reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a small communications lacrima.

"This is code blue," He said. "We've got trouble." Natsu and Lucy glanced over at each other, both were a little confused by the situation unfolding in front of them.

"His markings are gone," Happy whispered. Lucy looked at the ice make wizard.

"You're right," She agreed. "I wonder how? Why?"

"I don't know," Gray said. "You talk to him." He then tossed the phone to Natsu, who caught it, but didn't know what to do with it.

"You put it to your ear," Gray instructed. "And say hello." Natsu nodded and did just that.

"Hello."

"Is that you Natsu?" Lucy and Happy watched as his eyes widened.

"Who is it Natsu?" Happy asked.

"It's Erza," Gray replied.

"Erza?" Happy and Lucy asked. Natsu was just as shocked as them to hear the voice of the scarlet-haired wizard.

"My. My," She said. "Look what you've done to Gray's undercover mission. Although, I guess this would be typical of you. Listen to me, I want you all to get out of there. Gray knows where we need to go. We'll explain everything on the way." Lucy quickly changed back into her regular clothes and in no time they were riding away from the church. Erza was on speaker as Gray had stuck the lacrima in a pocket in his jacket.

"I found out about Avatar and how it was connected to Zeref half a year back," Erza explained. "This was with some help from Jellal. We hit a dead end though and that's when I contacted Gray."

"Because of the black markings that he had all over his body?" Happy guessed.

"I actually had no idea about them until he informed me of them," Erza replied.

"A while back I started getting these weird marks on me," Gray said. "I visited Porlyusica and as you saw I learned to control it. I told Erza about it when we met up."

"It was from there that we came up with this plan," Erza continued.

"In a way, it was a request from Erza," Gray said. "I was happy to do it since I have an interest in the book of E.N.D. It was my father's last request to have it destroyed and I plan to fulfill that."

Natsu frowned, "But what about Juvia? You didn't even tell her about this? We went to see her and she was literally worried sick!"

"I told him not to tell her," Erza stated. "I figured the fewer people that know about this mission, the better. It raises the mission's success rate and what if she had gotten into trouble over it?"

"So it was for Juvia's sake as well," Lucy concluded.

"Exactly."

"But still…"

"I know Natsu, I do feel bad for Juvia," Erza assured him. "We honestly didn't think that the mission would drag out this long. The situation changed completely. It was originally supposed to be a scouting mission, but then the information about the purification ritual came into play."

"Avatar is planning on wiping out an entire town in order to lure Zeref here," Gray added. "This is all because they believe that Zeref appears in places where death is abundant."

"That's crazy," Happy exclaimed from the top of Natsu's head.

"We've gotta stop that from happening," Natsu said. "I'm all fired up!"

"Wait, Gray, why haven't you and Erza just destroyed Avatar yourselves?" Lucy asked. "Why wait this long?"

"Because Avatar isn't just some small group," Gray replied. "What you saw was just a branch. Unfortunately, this cult is huge."

"Plus if we make any careless moves, we could lose the chance to stop the purification ritual forever," Erza continued.

"That's why we've been waiting until now, today is important," Gray told them. "It's the day that all of the branches come together. That way, we'll be able to destroy them all once and for all."

 _Oh okay, makes sense._ Lucy thought.

"Hey, Lucy." Lucy looked over at Gray.

"Yeah?"

"Sorry about what happened back there," He said. "I couldn't blow my cover. I feel bad about upsetting you like that."

Lucy shook her head, "Oh no, I understand now. Everything's fine. I'm sorry for slapping you like I did."

Gray shrugged, "It's fine, you know the maid outfit did make it a little better." Lucy's face turned completely red.

"There are some things that you really shouldn't say out loud," Lucy stated.

"Ha. Ha. Well-" Suddenly a fire ball came right at Gray which he dodged.

"Hey what was that for freak?" Gray asked clearly annoyed. Natsu turned around with a michevious look on his face.

"That was for our fight before," He said.

"I told you I couldn't blow my cover!"

"Excuses. Exscuses." Gray got mad and Lucy could easily see where this was going.

"Guys stop, pay attention to what's important right now," She shouted.

"Yeah," Happy said. "You all can fight over Lucy later!"

"We're not fighting over Lucy!"

 _Oh why must that stupid cat make everything awkward?_ Lucy thought.

"Who's fighting over Lucy?" Erza asked.

"No one," Gray and Natsu shouted.

"As I was about to say before I was interrupted, you guys are my friends for life," Gray said. "I've never forgetton about Fairy Tail."

Lucy sighed and smiled, "That's good to hear."

"That also makes things easier," Natsu said. "Let's go wreck that ritual as Fairy Tails strongest team!"

"Aye sir," Happy yelled.

Lucy laughed, "Yeah!"

"Sure why not," Gray said with on his face.

"Of course," Erza agreed.

"Awesome," Natsu shouted. "Now let me hear you all say it!"

"I'm all fired up!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever.**

 **That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it!**

"Wow, there's a lot of them" Happy commented as they left their rides a good distance away from the large amount of followers were gathered.

"Like I told you before," Gray said. "These are all the branches gathered together."

Lucy's eyes widened, "It's kind of disturbing to see just how many people are this spell."

"Tell me about it," Gray agreed.

"Well, this just makes me more excited," Natsu stated as he cracked his knuckles. "More

people to fight!"

"I knew you would say that," Happy said. Natsu started towards the group with Happy

following.

"Jeez you guys," Gray exclaimed. "Wait for us!" Gray followed with Lucy. They had hid on top of a hill, so once they made it down-Natsu made the first move.

"You ain't getting past me," He shouted as he attacked. "Try to beat us!"

"We can't let them get to the town," Gray reminded them as he knocked out another group of followers with his ice make magic.

"Got it," Lucy said before she pulled out her Taurus key. "Open! Gate of the Golden Bull, Taurus!" The larger than life pervy celestial spirit appeared as soon as his gate was opened. Lucy then turned the key towards herself.

"And Stardress: Taurus," She called. Her hair was tied into two buns, a choker with a cowbell, a black and white bra, two black and white gloves, pants with one leg missing, boots, and a bag. The taurus zodiac symbol was on her belt.

"Alright Taurus, we're fighting too," She said as she pulled out her whip.

"I'm so ready to mooove Miss Lucy," He exclaimed. He took his ax, whipped it around, and took out a group of followers in a single attack.

Lucy gripped her whip. _Here I go_ She thought.

"Earthwave," She shouted. As she waved her whip around, the attack tore through the earth. The celestial wizard had taken out a good amount of enemies with that move. Lucy spied followers being taken out from another direction and she knew that a fiery wizard in her own right had entered the fight.

"Erza," She exclaimed. Sure enough, Erza Scarlet rode up to them and jumped off her ride.

"Oh yeah now it's a party," Natsu said.

"Now that we're all here, let's go out guns blazing," Gray urged.

"I've missed this feeling," Lucy commented.

"Aye," Happy agreed as he readied his trusty stick for battle.

Erza turned to face the advancing group of followers.

"You're the ones that'll be purified," She announced. "Let's go!"

"Right," They all replied.

Together, the five of them tore up the battlefield. They beat everyone that tried to attack them and for Lucy this was one of the moments when she felt like she was really apart of what was once Fairy Tail's strongest team. She could hold her own just like the rest of them and that made her happy. She always had that nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she needed to get stronger for her own sake, because no matter how many times the others told her that she was just as strong as them-it was still be a little hard to believe.

"Lucy!" Lucy turned towards her celestial spirit and saw that the golden bull wasn't looking too good.

"M-My stomach doesn't feel great," He stated as he shuddered and clutched his stomach.

"Taurus," Lucy replied. "Oh of all the times- _during a battle_!"

"I'm so sorry Miss Lucy!"

Lucy sighed, "Look Taurus it's fi-" She stopped when she felt something weird in her stomach as well.

"Oh no," She said. "Not this again." She had felt this before and when she turned around she saw the culprit standing before her. It was Mary, the pink-haired wizard with cat ears from Avatar.

"Remember this? My black magic is a virus," She stated way too cheerfully. "In fact, it's the kind that eats at you from the inside." Lucy fell to the ground as she gripped her stomach.

"It's the kind that makes your large intestines go crazy," Mary continued. "Which means that you'll have to find a bathroom soon or you'll end up going right here in front of everyone!"

"That's….so….cheap," Lucy managed to spit out.

"Maybe so, but it's my black magic," The pinked-hair girl replied. "And I totally love it!"

 _This girl is insane!_ Lucy thought.

"Miss Lucy, I think….I think I'm at my limit," Taurus told her. "Moo!"

"Lucy!" _Happy!_ She thought.

"Happy...no stay a-" It was too late, the exceed suddenly fell onto the ground. He was clutching his stomach like the other two.

"The more the merrier," Mary cheered. "You know, my virus can be deadly too! It can...oh right attack your brain!"

Lucy's eyes widened, _What!_ That's when her stomach ailment disappeared.

"Huh? I...I actually don't feel sick anymore," She said as she stood up normally. She looked over at Mary, who had a confused look on her face.

"Your magic anomaly won't work with my air magic in effect!" Lucy gasped when she saw who had saved them.

"Wendy!"

"And Carla," Happy added as he flew into the air, clearly feeling like himself again. The sky dragon slayer and the exceed in human form were indeed standing in front of them.

"What's with the-Lucy look out," Carla warned and Lucy turned around to see Mary coming for her. She bawled her fist and grinned.

"This is for my tummy," She said. "Lucy punch!" With that, she punched Mary right in the gut and sent her flying.

"Remember that the next time you mess with someone's stomach," Happy called.

"Oh my gosh Lucy! That was amazing," Wendy said.

"Ha! Ha! It was nothing," Lucy replied. "I honestly don't know what would happened to us if you weren't here, Wendy!"

"What are you guys doing here exactly?" Happy asked.

Wendy sighed, "Well…..you see Juvia recovered and the first thing that she wanted to do was find Gray. I told her that you guys were going to bring him back, but she wouldn't accept it, so I used my sense of smell and tracked you guys here."

"Then Juvia left us and ran off to go find Gray," Carla finished. "Apparently she has some Gray sensor or whatever."

Lucy laughed, "At least Juvia's back to her old self again!"

"All because of Wendy of course," Carla commented.

Wendy shook her head, "No. No."

"Thank you Wendy," Happy exclaimed.

"Hey, the enemies still coming," Taurus called. "There's no time for slacking so let's moove it!"

"Right," Wendy replied as she entered dragon force. "Sky dragon wave wind!" The enemy was

caught up in a tornado.

Lucy's mouth dropped, "Is that dragon force?"

"We did a little training of our own," Carla informed her as she took down a few followers with some well-paced kicks to the face.

"Awesome," Happy cheered. They all worked together to push the enemy back.

While his teammates were fighting, Natsu had managed to find himself face to face with the leader of the cult.

"Huh, so you're the boss?" Natsu asked. "You're not anything like I expected." He waited for the cult leader to respond and was only met by mumbling.

"Look, just give up," Natsu said. "Your chances are getting slimmer and slimmer. You're going to lose."

"Oh such youth," The cult leader answered. "How enviable! I too, once had that." His lifted the staff that he was holding slowly.

"However, everyone grows old." The man continued. "While entering a phase in life filled with regret and despair!" As soon as he said despair, magic shot out of the staff. Natsu easily dodged it and ran forward for his attack, only to hit something hard.

"Gah! What the hell?" He asked as he rubbed his head and looked up at the large almost transparent wall in front of him.

"No way," He exclaimed and as soon as he said that he was shot at again. He evaded it once again and tried to do a fire dragon roar. His attack didn't even make it through the barrier.

"Okay that _has_ to be cheating," He shouted in frustration. He heard the followers snickering and just began punching the barrier as hard as he could. Maybe it was easier then it looked like to break it down. He kept punching and punching until finally he got his arm through. That sure shut the cult members up.

He then forced his whole body through each of the barriers and readied himself to strike.

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist," He shouted. The cult leader went down and the area filled with smoke. Natsu waited a second, his eyes were scanning the site. As the smoke cleared, he heard laughing.

"You've lost," The cult sneered.

Natsu frowned, "What the hell do you mean by that?"

"Getting my face burnt was worth it," The leader shouted. "That was the price I paid and I did it willingly! Prepare yourselves! Now it's time, Oh mighty god of war, time for you to seal your part of the deal! Grant your powers! Summon: Ikusatsunagi!" Hearing something, Natsu looked up and saw a dark magic circle materializing in the sky. Suddenly, the sun was gone and the sky was pitch black.

Lucy, who was fighting, stopped when she felt a chill go down her spine.

"What was that?" She asked Happy.

"I don't know, but I feel kinda funny," Happy replied. The ground started shaking.

"Look," Happy said. Lucy's mouth dropped when she saw what had the exceed so enthralled.

"A foot," She shouted.

"Lucy! Happy!" They turned and saw Gray yelling at him.

"You two! Move out of the way or it'll crush you," He commanded.

"Right," Happy said. "Come on Lucy!" He picked Lucy up and carried her away from the scene as fast as he could. Lucy turned around and saw the most disturbing scene. That foot stepped on all of the people that were left behind.

 _Oh my gosh!_ She thought as she closed her eyes and turned away. Happy let her off next to Erza, who had gathered a safe distance away with Gray, Juvia, Wendy, and Carla.

"So he's summoned one of the 18 battle gods of yakama," Erza said. Lucy watched a ginormous monster came into view.

"Wait where's Natsu?" She asked.

Erza frowned, "I don't know."

Happy shot up in the air, "I'll go find-"

"Wait Happy," Wendy interjected. "Look at the sword!" Everyone's attention was turned to the sword and Lucy sighed in relief.

"Natsu," Happy exclaimed happily.

"I should have known that idiot would do something like that," Gray commented.

Lucy watched as the fire dragon slayer ran up the sword and punched the battle god in the face. He did some damage, but it wasn't enough to bring down the beast. Natsu landed on his head and raised his fist. A gigantic, fierce flame encompassed his fist.

"Fire dragon king's iron fist!" Fire overtook the battle god and it caused an explosion. One of the 18 battle gods of yakama fell and Natsu was left standing.

Lucy smiled and shook her head.

 _Why…..Why does he always make me feel like I can do anything?_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever.**

 **That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it!**

It took Lucy a moment to realize that the battlefield was suddenly being overrun by magic knights.

"Whoa where'd they all come from?" She asked.

"Lucy look," Happy said. The exceed had a shocked look on his face.

"Happy what's-" That's when she saw them, Gajeel and Panther Lily were standing at the top of one of the hills wearing magic knight uniforms.

"Gajeel and Lily? What are they doing?" Wendy asked.

"They're apart of the council now," Gray answered.

"No way," Happy said. "That's the last place I thought Gajeel would be."

"You're telling me," Carla agreed.

"Take them all in," Gajeel shouted. Lucy looked around and saw Avatar followers being rounded up and arrested by magic knights. That's also when she saw a flash of blue.

 _Wait…._

"Levy is that you," She called. The magic knight turned around and it was indeed Lucy's fellow book lover.

Levy McGarden smiled, "Lucy!"

Lucy grinned, "Levy!" The two friends ran to each other and gave each other a big hug.

"Long time no see girl," Levy said.

"I know," Lucy agreed. "I heard rumors that you had joined the council, but who knew it would be true."

Levy laughed, "Oh yeah, it certainly has not been a boring year. What about you though? I heard that you were a reporter. What are you doing out here?" They were soon joined by the iron dragon slayer and his exceed friend.

"Oh well if it isn't bunny girl."

"Hello Lucy."

"Gajeel! Lily! How have-"

"Levy and Lily!" Lucy turned around and saw Natsu running towards them with a grin on his face. Then he paused.

"Natsu what's wrong?" Lucy asked.

"Lucy, doesn't that guy look a lot like Gajeel?"

 **"** I _am_ Gajeel you idiot," The iron dragon slayer exclaimed. "Are you really trying to pick a fight now?"

"Not really," Natsu answered. "I just have a hard time believing that Gajeel would ever want to be a councilman."

"Yeah," Happy added as he joined them. "How did you end up being one anyway."

Gajeel grinned, "It was all thanks to tree gramps. He found me back when I was looking for something to do and asked me if I wanted to work for the council. Now here I am with a uniform and everything!" Then he turned around and poked Natsu on his forehead.

"Now that I'm way above the guild, all of you are under arrest," He announced. "Salamander is under arrest for having a face like that. Lucy over here is arrested for indecent attire. Juvia, for being a freakin puddle of water. Happy, you're coming in because you eat way too much fish. Wendy...well I feel like I should just arrest you with the others. Finally, Gray Fullbuster, I don't even have to tell you what I'm arresting you for do I? I'm not as-"

That's when Erza appeared and punched Gajeel in the back of the head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Gajeel exclaimed.

"You're sure acting high and mighty for someone who looks like Gajeel," She stated.

"I am Gajeel!"

"No way."

"This is the real Gajeel," Panther Lily confirmed.

"What?" Natsu and Erza shouted.

"Please tell me you guys did not really think he was an imposter," Lucy said. Erza took a deep breath and settled herself.

"In that case, then let's cut to the chase," She said. "We were the ones that-"

"Stopped Avatar's purification ritual," Gajeel finished. "Yeah, we know."

"It was thanks to Gray that we even knew how to get here," Panther Lily added.

"I'm sorry that I caused you so much trouble Juvia," Gray said.

"Don't worry. As long as you're alright, I'm happy," Juvia replied with a huge smile that spread from ear to ear.

Lucy laughed as she watched everyone interacting with each other. Laughing and carrying on like it hadn't been a year since they last saw each other. It made her happy. It made her feel like she was home. She changed back into her normal clothes when she noticed a fourth exceed had joined the group.

"Frosch?" She asked. Gray turned around and went over to the exceed.

"Hey are you Frosch from Sabertooth?" He asked.

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch answered. Lucy smiled but then noticed that Natsu was watching the exchange with some anxiety.

"Natsu is something wrong?"

"He...He broke his promise," Natsu replied. "He promised that he'd stay put." He was about to go to the two of them when Lucy grabbed his hand.

"Natsu, wait a minute."

"Lucy, what-"

"This feels great!" The two of them looked and saw Gray hugging Frosch. Everyone else gathered around the two of them, of course Juvia did not seem too happy. Natsu turned and smiled at Lucy. She smiled back, but then realized that she was holding his hand. She dropped it and quickly went over to the group. She hoped that no one would notice that her face was a little red.

Natsu, on the other hand, was a little confused but was soon distracted by the sound of a distressed Rogue coming to retrieve his friend.

"Wow," Lucy said as she looked around. It was still hard to believe that it had been a year since she had stood in this town. Magnolia….it had quickly become her home and now she was back. Of course, she wasn't alone. Right now, it was Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Wendy, and Carla. The others had to tie up some loose ends before meeting back up with them in Magnolia. After Natsu had told them about their plans to reunite Fairy Tail, they had all agreed to help them bring back the guild wholeheartedly. It was just another happy reminder for Lucy that she was not the only one who had not forgotten about Fairy Tail this past year.

"Is something the matter Lucy?" Wendy's voice had pulled the celestial wizard from her thoughts. "You look a little upset."

Lucy smiled, "Oh no I'm fine. I'm just feeling nostalgic since it's been so long. This town brings back so many memories. It was here, in Fairy Tail, that for the first time in such a long time I felt like I had a home. That someone was always going to be there for me." That brought her back to the moment that Master Makarov had announced that the guild was disbanding. They hadn't even had time to ask the master what happened because he had disappeared right after that.

She didn't leave her house for a few days after that. She had felt lost and very alone. Her parents were dead, she had no other family to go see. Her childhood home was no longer hers anymore. It was just her, there was only one Lucy Heartfilia in the entire world.

Lucy looked up. She saw Wendy, Carla, Happy, and Natsu walking ahead of her.

She had thought about going to find Natsu and Happy, though she quickly dismissed that thought. They hadn't left any leads to where they would be going and they probably wouldn't stay in one place for too long. Those days, it really felt like Fairy Tail was truly over. She had almost lost all hope. That memory alone….

"Lucy what's wrong?" Happy asked. She saw that her four companions were now watching her. She had stopped walking abruptly.

"The guild's just ahead," Natsu stated.

She knew that. There was no way that she could not know that.

"I...I'm afraid of what I'll see," She admitted.

"Because the guild might not be there anymore," Natsu said. He understood, he could read it on her face. He went over and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, as if she was a little surprised by his actions.

"Who cares about the building," He told her. "What matters is what we do from now on."

"But Natsu, what about everyone else? With you appearing and saying that you'll bring back Fairy Tail….I just got so carried away. I didn't stop and think about the reality of it all," She stated. "I haven't even kept in touch with some people over the last year. The letters I sent….were only to those that I could find. Everyone's probably already gotten back to the lives by now."

"I just can't wondering if a lot more people have already forgotten about the-"

"Oh come on Lucy!" Lucy felt an arm go around her shoulder and that's when she saw Cana Alberona.

"Like I'd forget about the guild in only a year," She exclaimed. "I still got my guildmark, don't you see?"

"Cana!"

"Hey Natsu, Happy, and Carla," Cana greeted them cheerfully. "Wendy, I see you've grown a bit taller. Good for you!"

"Cana.." Lucy started.

"And you with your big knockers...give me a hug!" She pulled Lucy in for a hug and once she released her she took a swig of the bottle that she was holding.

"This past year has been fruitful for me, you know," Cana stated. "I actually decided to go on a trip to look for Gildarts, so it was pure luck that this letter got to me in time!"

"What?"

"And that means that the same thing probably happened to the rest too," Cana continued. "So cheer up. I've been in the guild since I was a kid, so it disbanded I couldn't make sense of it. I mean, I didn't know how to work outside of the guild so I guess in a way this was a good lesson learnt. Everyone else found it strange too, so that's probably why no one's kept in touch." She took another drink.

"Which is why you've become our ice breaker Lucy," She finished. Natsu grinned when he saw the look on Lucy's face.

"Now come on," Cana said as she took Lucy's hand. "Everyone's waiting."

"Wait, everyone?"

"Just follow me Lucy!" Cana dragged her down the street towards…..

"Surprise!"

Her family.

"Oh it's been too long!"

"You've grown your hair out Lucy!"

"I got your letter."

"Yo Natsu's back too!"

"It's Happy!"

"Wendy, Carla. How have you guys been?" Lucy scanned the group of people standing in front of her.

Warren.

Nab.

Reedus.

Max.

Alzack.

Bisca.

Asuka.

Jet.

Droy.

Macao.

Wakaba.

Romeo.

Laki.

Vijeeter.

Kinana.

And…

"A reunion of men!" Lucy turned and saw two of the Strauss siblings smiling in front of her.

"Long time no see Lucy," Lisanna exclaimed.

"Lisanna...Elfman-"

"Lucy." Lucy saw the first person who had welcomed her on her first day in the guild.

"Mira…."

"Welcome home," She said.

Home.

Lucy could feel herself starting to cry.

"I'm home," She cried and tears rolled down her face. Mira pulled her in for a hug. Natsu smiled as he watched the scene unfolding in front of him. He may never been able to truly make up for leaving Lucy alone that whole year, but he hoped that this was at least a step in the right direction. He looked down and saw something very familiar in front of him.

"Oh! I found it," He said as he picked it up. "It's a little torn, but it's definitely still good." Natsu held the guild's flag high in the air.

"Fairy tail is back!"


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever.**

 **That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it!**

After the most amazing reunion, Lucy Heartfilia made her way back to her former home. While she did have the option to stay in the girls dorm, she decided to go back to the place that she had called home for so long. Plus, there was no way that she was going to give up the bathtub.

Her landlord was nice….initially. She welcomed her back and asked her how she had been. The small talk went smoothly until Lucy mentioned that she wanted to know whether or not she could move back into her old apartment.

After negotiations and a promise to pay rent on time, Lucy was given the key to her old apartment. The first thing that she did was put her suitcase on the bed and get ready to take a shower.

As soon as she felt the warm water on her skin, she allowed herself to get lost in her thoughts. In just a short period of time, she reunited with Natsu and Happy, they went a journey across the kingdom, helped thwart a Zeref cult, and brought back Fairy Tail.

"Such a whirlwind," Lucy said. She then got out of the shower and changed into her pajamas. She then grabbed her toothbrush and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

"Hm….Hm...H-" A shiver with down her spine as Lucy looked around the bathroom, she felt like she was being watched. She put her toothbrush down and went over to the windows in her bedroom. They were both closed as well.

"Okay, ignore it Lucy," she told herself. "Ignore it. It's nothing. It's all in your head. No one is watching you. No one is watching you. Just get ready to lay down and get some much needed sleep." She finished brushing her teeth, washed her face, and left the bathroom to climb into bed. Once she pulled the covers up, she felt at peace.

"I'm home," She whispered and quickly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 _Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!_

What was that?

 _Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!_

Was that crunching?

 _Ha! Ha! Ha!_

Now there's laughing, what's going on?

Lucy opened her eyes and saw an exceed staring down at her with a grin on his face.

"Morning Lucy!"

Lucy screamed, sat up, and her arms flailed out. As a result, she hit Happy square in the face and he ended up flying right into Natsu, whose bag of chips spilled out onto her carpet.

"Ow Lucy! Why did you punch me?"

"Why did I….Why did I...WHY ARE YOU TWO IN MY ROOM!"

"We came to visit," Happy answered.

"I've told you many times before," She shouted. "Don't come in whenever you feel like it!" She jumped out of her bed and was prepared to land a Lucy kick on the fire dragon slayer and his exceed friend. Her kick did not end up hitting its targets. Instead she found herself upside down, with Natsu holding her ankle up in the air.

"Put me down Natsu," She demanded as she was glad that she was wearing pajamas. She couldn't imagine how mortifying this would have been if she were in something like a…. _towel_ for instance. She tried wiggling her way out, to no avail.

"Like that'll work Lucy," Natsu said. "You still lack training."

"Excuse me! I'll show you how much I lack training Mr. I hid in the woods for a year!" She could not believe that he had just said that!

"Now put me down," She continued.

"Oh yeah, we forgot to mention that we have a job," Natsu said as if he was disregarding her plea to be put down before all the blood rushed to her head.

"That's right we do have a job," Happy stated.

"A job," Lucy exclaimed (she forgot that she was upside down too). "Money for rent! Let me just go and g-wait I'm still upside down. Put me down Natsu."

"Oh right," Natsu said. "Here you go." He tossed Lucy up in the air without warning, caught her, and then let her stand up on her own.

"Thanks," The dazed celestial wizard said.

* * *

After Lucy got dressed, the three of them left her house and reported for their job….as part of the construction crew for the new guild hall.

"So this was the job?" Lucy asked as she picked up another log.

"Don't complain Lucy, we have to rebuild the guild hall fast," Natsu replied as he came over to holding three logs of his own. "Here, I can carry another." Lucy rolled her eyes, but gave him the log nonetheless.

"Thanks a lot show off," She said. He grinned at her and ran off.

"Buck up Lucy," Erza said. "Everyone needs to pitch in so we can build one amazing guild that master will be proud of when he sees it."

Lucy sighed and nodded, "You're right Erza." She started walking over to the other logs, but was stopped by Lisanna.

"Hey Lucy, do you want a bottle of water?" She asked with a cheerful smile.

Lucy smiled, "Thanks Lisanna." She gave her a bottle of water.

"You sure seem good at this Lisanna," Natsu commented as he and Happy came over to the two of them. The youngest Strauss sibling had been passing out refreshments to everyone.

"This is all thanks to waitressing with Mira for the past year," Lisanna replied.

"Was Elfman there too?" Happy asked. A picture of the huge Elfman waiting on tables popped into Lucy's head.

 _Maybe it could happen….._

"Well, Elf said that he was going to do some training and just disappeared for a little bit," Lisanna answered. "He eventually came back though."

"Oh," Natsu said as he smiled. "I'll have to pick a fight with him later then."

"I could do it now if you want." Lucy jumped and turned around to see Elfman Strauss standing before them with a smile on his face.

"I can see where this is going to go," Lucy said to Lisanna before taking a sip of her water. "Let's move over to the side…. _way_ over to the side."

"Good idea," Lisanna said as the three of them moved over just as Elfman punched Natsu square in the face. He went flying into some supplies and sat up instantly while rubbing his cheek.

"That is a nice punch you got there Elfman," Natsu said. "Let see if you can handle mine!" He came forward and punched Elfman in the face. Soon enough, a crowd surrounded the two of them. They were cheering them on and of course as what happens with all Fairy Tail fights-it soon became an all out brawl. Everyone joined in, even…..

"Loke, I didn't summon you," Lucy exclaimed as the lion celestial spirit appeared before her and punched someone.

"I'm sorry Lucy, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity," Loke explained. He jumped right in.

"Everyone!" All the fighting ceased suddenly as soon as a familiar voice echoed through the construction site. Lucy turned around slowly and saw an angry looking scarlet-haired wizard.

"Get back to work," Erza shouted and everyone went back to work just like that.

"That's it!" Lucy looked over at Levy, who was sitting at a table filling out paperwork.

"What do you mean Levy?" Happy asked.

"Our seventh guild master is now Erza Scarlet," Levy announced.

"What," Erza exclaimed.

Lucy shrugged, "I could see that, good choice." Everyone cheered in response.

"There's no better choice than you." A man had appeared suddenly at the site and Lucy narrowed her eyes.

"Who is that?" She asked herself. She felt like both she knew him and had no idea who he was.

 _How was that even possible?_

"I've been waiting so long for all of you to come together again," The man stated. "You guys are the only ones that can save sixth master Makarov."

"What do you mean?" Natsu pressed. "What do you know about Gramps?"

"Who are you?" Erza asked.

"My name is Mest," The man answered. "I would like to speak with you seventh master Erza Scarlet. I have something to show you as well."

"Okay," Erza replied. "Where are we going?"

"Just follow me," Mest responded. "This is place for masters only."

"Get back to work, all of you," Erza commanded before following Mest. They all watched them walk away before people slowly began to go back to work.

"Lucy come on," Natsu prompted the celestial wizard.

"Come on where?" Lucy asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Aren't you curious about where they're going?" Natsu asked. "We're gonna follow them!"

"But he said he only wants to talk to Erza," She argued.

"He knows something about gramps and I wanna know too," Gray said. He had joined them now.

"What are you guys talking about?" Wendy and Carla came over to them.

"We're all going to follow Erza and that Mest guy," Natsu told her.

"Wait Natsu I-oh never mind!" The six were able to follow Erza and Mest's scents thanks to the dragon slayer's noses.

The ended up at a partial structure on the site that seemed to lead underground.

"Here we go," Natsu said as he went down there. The rest of them followed him. Lucy looked around, it was like they were traveling down to some sort of secret room. They were walking on stone steps and Lucy shivered as she felt a cool breeze hit her.

"Wh-whoa!" Lucy heard Wendy scream. Before she could turn around to ask what was wrong, Wendy tumbled right into Lucy, who tumbled into Gray, and Gray tumbled right into Natsu. Thankfully the four of them did not fall down too many stairs.

That didn't stop the pain though.

"Ow!"

"What!"

"Why?"

"Pain!"

The only ones who managed to avoid the tumble were Happy and Carla-they had wings.

" _You guys_ ," Erza said.

"Even after I said that the place we're going is for master's only," Mest stated. " _Really_?"

"We want in on this too," Natsu shouted when he shot straight up. "Whoa….." The rest of them got themselves on their feet.

"Isn't that the first?" Gray asked. Lucy observed the huge crystal holding the body of the first master of Fairy Tail.

Natsu's mouth dropped, "She's naked."

Lucy rolled her eyes, "For the dignity of the first master, I am going to cover your eyes." She placed her hands over Natsu's eyes.

"What? Why are you covering my eyes?" Natsu asked. "I'm not a pervert, you should be covering Gray's eyes."

"What you say idiot!"

"You heard me!"

"Why's the first master crystallized under the guild?" Carla asked. Being curious about this themselves, Gray and Natsu stopped arguing. Lucy's hands still remained over Natsu's eyes.

"Explain Mest," Erza commanded.

Mest shrugged, "To be honest, I don't even know myself. One thing that is for sure is that she's here for an important reason."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever.**

 **That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it!**

"What!"

After questioning Mest about the reason why Fairy Tail's first guild master Mavis Vermillion was crystallized under the guild hall, the members of Fairy Tail's strongest team began to see images in their heads.

"These are my memories," Mest explained. The images had gone through Mest's history being a guild member and going under cover as part of the magic council. It included Master Makarov telling him that he disbanded the guild and that he was going to Alvarez.

"So Gramps went to that Alvsomething country and he hasn't come back yet?" Natsu asked.

"He despaned the guild to protect us," Erza realized.

"Wait, so you haven't heard from him once in this whole year?" Gray asked.

"Yeah," Mest replied.

"Well didn't you stop him?" Happy pressed.

"Do you really think that the master would've listened Happy?" Carla asked.

"...Probably not," Happy answered with a sad expression on his face.

"I just hope he's okay," Wendy said. "I'm worried."

Lucy nodded, "Me too."

Mest sighed, "Look, it's been hard to tell if we're still dealing with the country or if it has isolated itself. It has also been hard to tell if-"

"Stop…..please," Erza interjected.

"I've been following Master Makarov's orders and working behind the scenes to put the council back together. Thanks to help from Master Warrod, we've got a temporary council formed by the ten wizard saints," Mest explained.

Lucy nodded, "Yeah, we heard about that. Do they even know what's happening?"

"Master Warrod does," Mest replied. "I'm not sure if the rest do though. However, the threat they feel from the Alvarez kingdom is still the same. So much so that they've been sending reinforcements to the western continent and strengthening their defenses."

"But Master still hasn't come back yet," Happy stated sadly.

"Unfortunately," Mest said.

"That's it," Natsu exclaimed. "We need to go get him."

"I agree," Gray said. "What if he wants to come back, but can't? "

"I'm in," Lucy said. How could she not be?

"We are too," Wendy said. "Right Carla?"

"Of course!"

"I've done everything that he's told me to do, so from now on I'm making my own decisions," Mest stated. "So I'm coming too. I am a proud member of Fairy Tail after all!"

"Yeah," Happy exclaimed. "If all of us go together we'll be unbeatable."

"Then it's settled then," Erza concluded. "Everyone here will be taking part in a mission to bring back Master. Just remember everyone, we are up against an enemy that Master didn't even feel confident about beating. It makes me think that we should be going there with a well-thought out plan."

"Yeah," Lucy agreed. "We can't just go waltzing in there."

"But we've all gotten stronger this past year," Natsu argued. "We can definitely go in there and take everyone down!"

"Natsu," Erza said. "Do you really want to go in there and trample on Master's feelings? He's there to buy us time."

"But-"

"As the seventh guild master, my dream is for everyone of us to smile again. After all, we haven't seen each other in an entire year," Erza stated. "The thing is, my feelings as just another member of the guild are a bit different. As a member of the guild I feel as though we should rescue master at all costs!"

Everyone nodded, "Right!"

"One last thing," Erza said. "This is a rescue mission, so we don't need to pick any unnecessary fights." She went over and put an arm around Natsu.

"Right Natsu?" She asked.

"Y...Yeah," Natsu answered. "Question is, how are we going to get there?"

Lucy shook her head, "Oh Natsu, you'll see."

"Why!?"

Natsu Dragneel was writhing in pain on the deck of the ship that they were taking to their destination. Lucy frowned, her heart went out to her teammate-he looked positively green.

"W-why a b...boat? Did we need to take a boat?" Natsu asked. "Urgh" Gray crossed his arms over his chest.

"How else were supposed to get there?" Gray asked.

"I dunno, I thought that Mest was going to teleport us there or something," Natsu replied.

"Sorry," Mest said. "Can't go this far."

"H-h-happy, can you take me the rest of the w-way?" Natsu asked. "Please?"

"Sorry, no can do," Happy answered as he munched on a fish. "My arms would get tired."

"Your arms mean more than me?" Natsu asked.

"Uh-huh."

"Wah! Okay Wendy, then it's up to your ma-" Natsu had staggered to his feet, hoping to get Wendy's help. His hope disappeared as soon as he saw the sky dragon slayer.

"Wendy!"

"I-I'm sorry," She replied. "It looks like I've got motion sickness now." It definitely looked like she did. Both dragon slayers were absolutely miserable. Natsu slumped down next to Wendy. He looked like he was close to tears.

 _Well at least they have each other._ Lucy thought _If that's at least one positive thing that comes out of this perdicament._

Lucy patted Natsu's head and then Wendy's.

"Don't worry, Gray is going to take you guys to your beds so you can lie down for a bit," She said. "I'm sure you'll feel better after."

"Oh Lucy, your voice is soothing," Natsu stated.

"Um, thank you Natsu," Lucy replied.

 _Wow, he's really got it bad, but it was sort of nice to hear…..Shush Lucy! He's got motion sickness!_

Lucy looked over at Gray who rolled his eyes, "Alright. Alright. I'll bring you guys to your-"

"No," Natsu interjected. "I-I w-want Lucy."

"Natsu," Lucy exclaimed.

Gray looked over at Lucy, "Is there a problem with that?"

"Well no-"

Gray shrugged, "Okay, I'll take Wendy then." Lucy sighed and then helped Natsu up.

"Come on Natsu, here we go," She said as she put his arm around her shoulder. She almost fell forward, but caught herself.

"Natsu please try to at least hold a little of your weight up," Lucy stated.

"Sorry."

She helped him into one of the rooms on the ship. She helped him sit down on the bed and then he laid down.

"Now just close your eyes and go to sleep," Lucy prompted. "We'll be outside if you need anything." She was about to leave the room, when she felt a warm hand wrap around her wrist.

"Wait," The fire dragon slayer said.

Lucy turned around, "What's wrong?"

"Stay," Natsu answered. "Just stay until I go to...to sleep."

"You want me to just sit here and watch you go to sleep?"

"No, I-I want you to sit and talk to me," Natsu clairifed.

"What do you mean?"

"I wasn't lying out there, your voice really is soothing," Natsu answered. "It gives m-me some...thing to focus on."

Lucy sighed, she couldn't argue with that, especially when he looked so sickly. She grabbed the chair in front of the desk in the room and sat down next to the bed. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

"I...actually don't know what to talk about."

"Story."

"What?"

"Tell me a story," Natsu suggested. "Igneel used to tell me stories all the time when I was a kid."

"Really? I'm guessing that they were about dragons?" Lucy asked. Natsu gave her something that looked a little like his usual grin and nodded.

"So you want me to tell you a story about dragons?"

"Doesn't have to be about dragons….just make up one." Lucy thought about it for a moment and then an idea popped in her head.

"Okay, I've got one," Lucy stated as she made herself comfortable. "Are you ready?"

"Yep."

"Once upon a time, there was a princess who lived in a castle where she had anything that she ever wanted. All the toys and clothes a girl could dream of. The thing is, the princess was unhappy and had been for a very long time. She decided to run away. She ran away from everything that she had ever known for a whole new life. Was she scared? Yes. Did she consider going back to the castle? Yes. She didn't though, because one day she met a dragon and a…"

Lucy paused when she heard snoring and saw a content look on Natsu's face.

She smiled, _Aw he's kind of cute when he's sleeping._ She stood up and went to the door. She took one last look at Natsu, before shutting the door behind her.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever.**

 **That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it!**

Lucy walked back onto the main deck just as Mest had finished talking about being prepared for the infiltration.

"What's going on exactly?" She asked as she rejoined her team.

"I was just talking about how we're going to have to make a stop at Caracall Island," Mest replied. "There's an intelligence person stationed there that can tell us how to sneak into the empire."

"Good, because we'll need all the help that we can get," Lucy said.

"That's true," Erza agreed. "Especially since we're going up against such a strong opponent."

"So how far is this Caracall Island?" Gray asked. "Because you hadn't said anything about it until now."

"I wasn't sure how long it would take us, but it should be right around here," Mest answered.

"I think I see it," Happy exclaimed. "That little piece of green right there." Lucy looked in the direction he was pointing and he was right-there was an island there.

"That's it," Mest confirmed. "Go get Natsu and Wendy."

"Can't we just wait until we dock?" Lucy asked. "They just laid down."

"I don't think that we'll have time to wait that long," Erza stated. "Look at that ship." Lucy gasped when she saw what she was talking about.

"That's Alvarez's navy ship," Mest said.

"What are they doing here?" Happy asked.

"Caracall isn't under Alvarez's rule is it?" Carla inquired.

"It looks like they're checking for something," Mest said as he looked through the ship's telescope. "This means that it probably isn't safe for us to get any closer."

"Alright here they are." Lucy turned around and saw Gray place Natsu and Wendy on deck. Of course, both were still exhibiting sufficiently pukey faces.

"Gray!"

"What? They needed to be out here."

"He's right Lucy," Erza said. "We cannot afford to have them remain in the dark, no matter how sick they are."

"I've got it," Happy called. "Natsu. Wendy. Do you two think that you can use your super dragon hearing to hear what's going on?"

"Super dragon hearing?" Carla asked as she rolled her eyes.

"Well….they know what I mean!"

"We can j-just b-barely hear them," Wendy stated. "But…."

"They're looking for a spy or something," Natsu finished. "And it doesn't…...sound like they found them...yet."

"What are we going to do?" Mest asked.

"The only thing that we can do," Erza answered. "Go undercover."

"What! Well…..yeah that is the only thing that we can do," Lucy said. There was no way that she could argue with that. "The thing is even if we go in there with our bathing suits on, our guildmarks will still show."

"Not unless you replace them with a guild mark from another guild," Carla suggested.

"But we shouldn't pose as the other guilds, that might get them some unnecessary trouble," Lucy stated.

"Not if we use a guild mark from a guild that no longer exists….."

"What guild is that Carla?" Happy inquired.

"Well, you all remember the guild that Wendy and I came from right?" Suddenly, a light bulb went off in everyone's heads.

"Oh!"

After putting on their disguises, the group made their way off of the boat via Mest's teleportation. As they walked on the beach toward the long line of island visitors waiting to have their bags searched, it crossed Lucy's mind how nice it would be to come here for a vacation.

"Come on! Come on! Get in line!" Guards surrounded the line and entrance to the town.

Lucy poked the fire dragon slayer and he leaned towards her.

"Don't do anything stupid," She warned.

"Jeez I won't," Natsu assured her. "Why does everyone think that I can't be sneaky?" Lucy rolled her eyes, clearly his memory has gotten worse over the past year….

"Next!"

It wasn't long before it was their turn to face the guards. As per the plan, Lucy and Erza walked up in front of the group.

"Hello! We're on vacation," Lucy said as cheerfully as possible. "We can't wait for sun, sand, and star mangoes!"

"We heard that the star mangoes here are to die for," Erza stated. Wendy and Carla stood next to them. The sky dragon slayer flashed her brightest smile and looked at the transformed exceed.

"We're all really looking forward to it," She stated. "Right?"

Carla nodded, "Definitely!" Lucy watched as the guards examined them all.

"Is that a guild mark?" The man asked.

"Why yes," Lucy replied. "We are wizards from the Cait Shelter guild!"

"Oh...well, I've never heard of a guild named that," The guard stated. He looked over at his comrades. "What about you guys?" The men with him shook their heads.

"We only know a handful of them from Isghar," One of them said. "Plus you all don't seem like you'd be any trouble. Considering that you're here for vacation. Just show us your and bags. We'll let you pass then."

"Great thank you," Erza replied. Within no time, they were cleared to go.

"Well that went faster than expected," Natsu stated as they entered the town.

"Something tells me that it would not have been that easy if those two weren't here," Gray commented.

"Glad you realize that Gray," Lucy said as she and Erza high-fived each other.

"With the number of guards here, we really shouldn't be moving around so much," Mest stated.

"We just have to try and keep a low profile," Erza said. Just then, they heard crying. In the distance, a little boy was clutching to one of the guards and screaming about his father.

"Where's my Daddy? Bring him back," The child demanded with tears rolling down his face. That struck Natsu then and there. Suddenly he was seeing all the moments that he spent with Igneel, the years he searched for him, and the moment he watched him die.

"It looks like I'll have to make you shut up," A guard shouted as he pulled out his sword and waved it at the little boy.

That's it.

Natsu knew that he couldn't hold back any longer and he jumped into action. Apparently, he wasn't the only one that felt that way, because the rest of his guild mates followed him. They took out the guards and saved the little boy.

The crowd watching them was shocked and erupted into conversations about what they just saw. Over all of the voices they heard one clear one.

"What happened to keeping a low profile you idiots!"

Mest was freaked, that's for sure.

Lucy looked around as guards surrounded them.

 _Well, this was bound to happen._ She thought. She pulled out her whip, but remembered the child. She turned and saw Wendy with the little boy.

"I'll help him find his Dad," Wendy informed them.

"Don't worry," Happy assured the little boy. "Wendy'll find your Dad in no time."

"Mest, you go with them too," Gray said. Lucy raised an eyebrow when she saw an alarming look on Mest's face when he looked at the sky dragon slayer. The _young_ sky dragon slayer.

"Hey Mest, weren't you going to go find the informant?" She asked hauntly.

"Oh….right."

 _Oh right my butt._ Lucy thought.

"We'll find you later Mest," Erza said.

"Alright guys be careful," Mest said before disappearing.

"Get those brats!" The guards ran towards them and they were quickly stopped by Natsu.

"Let's see you try it," He yelled as he jumped right into the bunch and took a good amount out in the process. The rest of them joined in.

 _Well, this isn't going to take long_ Lucy thought as she knocked one guy out.

Abruptly, she felt a searing pain in her head and she knelt down.

 _Ouch! What is this?_

Fragmented images flashed through her mind. A frail hand...A bed...A person with green hair….keys….a letter…..darkness.

"Lucy! Lucy, wake up!"

She opened her eyes and found herself staring up at the faces of her worried guildmates.

"What happened?" She asked as she sat up. She looked around and saw all the guards on the ground. "Are you guys okay?"

"Are we okay?" Gray asked. "What about you? You passed out in the middle of a fight."

"Oh….yeah well I'm fine," Lucy replied as she stood up in order to exhibit how great she was. "No need to worry." That didn't seem to erase the worry on her guildmates' faces.

"Are you sure?" Erza pressed.

"Yes," Lucy assured her. "Let's focus on what we came here to do."

"If she said she's fine then she's fine," Natsu said. Lucy noticed that he had a slight frown on his face. She needed something to distract all of them…..that's when she saw it.

"Oh! Isn't that a mango gelato stand?" She asked, her voice rising a few octaves too loudly.

"What!" Erza stood up and turned instantly in the direction that she was pointing.

 _Got Erza._ Lucy thought.

"Oh that does sound good," Gray agreed as the two of them made their way over there. They stepped over a few guards on the way. She looked over at Natsu who was staring at her with an unreadable expression. This was something that Lucy found a bit strange because she considered Natsu to be one of the most easy to read people in this world. Though, to be fair, he has done some things that surprised her in the past.

"Natsu?" He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but closed it.

"Hey! Are you two coming or what? This is too good to ignore," Erza exclaimed.

"Coming," Lucy said as she ran over there.

"Hey, save some for me," Natsu stated as he followed her.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever.**

 **That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it!**

"Oh my gosh! This is so good," Erza exclaimed as she shoved spoonfuls of mango gelato into her mouth. Lucy laughed sheepishly, _that's Erza for you._ The four of them were seated at the star mango gelato stand that Lucy had pointed out. The man who owned the stand was very nice and very welcoming. Although, he did say that he hoped that they wouldn't cause another scene.

"To have a mango stand in this area, you've got some comercial spirit," Gray stated.

"Why thank you young man," The owner replied as he handed Natsu his second bowl of mango gelato. They were paying for this by the way, Lucy made sure they had enough money to fulfil Natsu and Erza's sweet tooths.

"Nothing is more important to me than this business," He continued. "Fights happen around here all the time, but for me it's all about expansion! I want to save enough money to bring this over to Isghar."

"Great plan," Erza said.

"Oh are you all from Isghar?" He asked.

"We are," Natsu answered in between bites. He was enjoying this snack, but he was also keeping an eye on Lucy at the same time. He couldn't help but still be a little worried about her since she had collapsed earlier. To be honest, he had been a little worried about her since the beginning of their journey when she was having all of those bad dreams. He knew they were bad dreams even if she didn't wake up because she would always toss and turn with a pained expression on her face. Natsu couldn't help but wonder if this was all connected….

"Well I'm sure you'll see me over there very-." All of a sudden, the gelato shop blew to pieces and they were thrown out of their seats.

"Well done! Well done!"

"Who did that?" Erza shouted. "How could you?" Lucy went over and tried to help the owner up. Unfortunately, all the man could do was just sit on the ground clutching the remnants of his beloved stand.

"Hello there!" A man wearing a purple blazer and trousers was standing before them with a grin.

"The name's Marin Hallow," He announced. "And I am apart of the Brandish Force, which is apart of the Alvarez Empire army force." Gray turned around and tossed Lucy their bag of money.

"Take the money sir," He insisted. "It may not be a lot, but it's something that could help you get back on your feet."

"Don't worry," Erza exclaimed. "I will avenge your star mangoes!" Lucy helped the mango owner up and handed him the money.

"Run far away from here," She urged.

"Thank you," The owner said before rushing away.

"Well done! Well done! You'll get a well done from me anytime," Marin yelled with that same annoying grin.

"Enough," Erza shouted. "I'll show you the wrath of the desserts! Requi-" Erza paused suddenly and the magic around her died down instantly.

"Erza come on! What are you doing?" Natsu asked.

"I….I can't use my magic," Erza answered with a confused look on her face. "I don't know what's happening."

"Okay! Okay! Okay! Let me fill you all in," Marin said. "You can't use your magic because of my magic! I own space!"

"Space? What the hell do you mean by space?" Gray asked.

" _Oh okay_ , I guess you all need a little bit more insight," Marin replied. "The knight" is a kind of magic that enables me to instantly equip anything I want. Which is why you can't use any of your spacial magic against me. Is it clear now?"

 _I won't be able to use any of the star dresses, but maybe I can still call one of my spirits._ Lucy thought. She pulled out one of her keys.

"Open! Gate of the archer, Sagittarius," She shouted. The zodiac glowed and then the glow was out in an instant.

"Guess not," Marin said. "Celestial spirit magic is special magic too! Sorry to break it to you!"

"Shoot," Lucy exclaimed.

"Oh, I forgot to mention something," Marin said. "Since you two broke free of my laws of space….." Suddenly, Lucy felt a weird sensation up her legs and went she looked down she saw that she was actually disappearing.

"What the heck," She shouted.

"Lucy! Erza!"

Everything went dark and Lucy found that she was sitting down on a hard surface. She looked around and saw that they were a completely empty room. It would have been relatively tame, had it not been for the creepy voice loops. There were unintelligible whispers echoing throughout the room.

 _Why do I feel like I'm being watched?_ Lucy thought. She glanced over at Erza, who looked just as creeped out as felt.

 _How are we going to get out of there?_

Then, Lucy began to feel the weird sensation up her legs again.

 _Oh no, where are we going now?_ Everything went dark in a second and then Lucy felt the warmth of the sand under her. She opened her eyes and saw that they were back.

"Oh thank goodness," Lucy said.

"What was that creepy room?" Erza asked. It took Lucy a second to get used to her surroundings and that's when she noticed that there was another person there.

"Who is that?" Lucy asked. This woman, with green hair was giving off such an immense power that Lucy felt herself scoot back instinctively. She walked away from them and that Marin guy chased after her.

"Wait Lady Brandish, our job is to capture the spy and their acquaintances that have gone to look for him," He stated. "And if we go back Master Wahl will-"

"Marin." Brandish stopped walking and turned around.

"Isghar wouldn't dare come at Alvarez even if we did let them go anyway," Brandish said nonchalantly. That's one thing that Lucy noticed about this wizard she was definitely more on the relaxed side…...at least right now.

"Yes that's true, but wouldn't it be terrible if we told them that we couldn't find any?" Marin asked. "We'd be complete failures."

Brandish rolled her eyes, "Such things don't concern me." She turned around and started to walk away again with Marin following behind. Lucy stood up and saw Natsu walk forward.

"Natsu!"

"Hey wait up," He called. Brandish paused and turned around once again.

"Look what you've done to one of ours," Natsu stated. "There's no way I'm letting that slide." Brandish and Natsu locked eyes, neither one of them looked like they were willing to back down.

Then she turned to Marin, lifted her hand, and suddenly he disappeared. That shocked each of the Fairy Tail members.

"Now we're one person down too," Brandish said. "That makes us even and I'm going to leave. Troublesome matters aren't my favorite." Lucy looked over and saw Natsu getting angry.

"You took out one of your-"

"Like I said, it was getting troublesome," Brandish interjected. "Now, I want to go, so I'll let them know that I took out the spy. I'm willing to just let this matter go, but if you do troublesome things then who knows what will happen. Don't come any closer. This is a warning."

Instantly, the ground disappeared and the three of them were in the water. They were not just wading in the water, there were rough waves crashing against them. There was screaming and Lucy turned around to see that the other people on the island had gotten caught in the water as well. People who had nothing to do with their situation.

Brandish was standing comfortably on a small piece of land.

"There are 12 other wizards in the powerhouse called Alvarez, so do not fight a battle that you cannot win," Brandish advised them. Though, what she said next shocked Lucy even more.

"Oh and by the way Fairy Tail, Makarov is alive," She added both disappearing.

"There's 12 more wizards just as powerful as her," Lucy said. "What are we going to do?"

"I just can't believe they found out about us," Gray commented.

"Now I've seen this, I know that we need to save master more than ever," Erza commented.

"We're coming gramps," Natsu said.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever.**

 **That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it!**

Above all else, Fairy Tail's strongest team knew that before they could go after Brandish, they needed to save all the innocent people who were caught in her attack. Thankfully, the crew that managed the ship they were on had already noticed the danger that they were in and were there in no time to help. The crew members threw three long rope ladders off of the ship so people could climb on. Miraculously, it turned out that a group of fishing boats had been nearby as well and came to help them. That way, everyone who was on the island would have a chance to get to safety. Happy and Carla were even flying people onto the boats (mostly children).

Lucy watched the scene unfold next to Gray. They were able to climb onto a ship with Natsu and Erza. Not surprisingly Natsu went down as soon as he stepped onto the deck due to the fact that it was a form of transportation. They also reunited with Wendy and Carla, of course Wendy was in a similar state as the fire dragon slayer. Happy had been able to find Mest and flew him onto the ship too. All they were able to do to help him at the moment was have him lay down. Wendy definitely was not able to use her healing magic.

"What!"

"Oh my God!"

"It can't be!"

Lucy turned to another corner of the ship and saw that a small crowd had gathered over at that side. That crowd included Erza.

 _What else happened?_ Lucy thought as she went over to her friend.

"What's going on?" She asked Erza.

"It shrunk," She replied.

"What?"

"The island didn't disappear, it literally shrunk. Can you see?" Lucy followed where Erza was pointing and her mouth dropped.

The island _had_ shrunk.

The one wizard did all that?

"She has the power to make things big or small," Lucy realized.

"Exactly," Erza said. "She has the power to change mass and that's a really high power level."

Just another reminder of the unbelievable power that they were going up against. Though, when Lucy thought of the wizard she couldn't help but wonder why she seemed a bit familiar to her.

Lucy shook her head, there was no way that she could have seen that girl before. She would remember that kind of power….wouldn't she?

Taking her mind off of the subject, Lucy went over to check on Natsu. She frowned when she saw him slumped over the side of the ship.

She walked over and without thinking began to rub his back. He stirred and she pulled back.

"No, keep doing that," Natsu protested.

"Are you sure?" Lucy asked.

"P-please, I don't feel like I'm dying when you do that," Natsu answered. Lucy sighed and continued what she was doing without another word. As she rubbed his back, she thought back to when she had first come into contact with the fire dragon slayer's weakness.

 _"You are so lame!"_

She felt bad for saying that, now that she knew it was really something that he couldn't help. Although, he had fought through it plenty of times and that really impressed her.

He never lets anything hold him back, for better or for worse.

Lucy looked up and saw Erza coming towards them.

"So, what do we do now?"

"Well, we could start with that spy we were-" Before she could finish her sentence, Erza vanished before Lucy's eyes. Suddenly, Lucy's vision went dark as well and the next thing she saw when her vision returned was the back of Natsu's head.

" _Ow_ ," Natsu said.

"You're telling me," Lucy stated. She rolled off of Natsu onto the ground, that's when she noticed that they were no longer on the ship.

"Where are we?" Lucy asked. Meanwhile, Natsu jumped right up along with Wendy. The two of them started cheering about how they were no longer on transportation so the world was 100 times better.

"Mest why would you just teleport us without any warning?" Carla asked.

"Sorry, i-it's my magic," Mest replied.

 _Well, at least he's on his feet now._ Lucy thought

"Where are we?" Gray asked.

"Technically we're still in the Carcall Island's waters but we're just underwater," Mest answered.

Lucy's eyes widened, "We're underwater?"

"Look! Look! There's fish everywhere!" Happy was at one of the windows, nearly foaming at the mouth.

"Calm down Happy," Lucy said. "It's not like you can go out there and grab them. It could be dangerous."

"Why not," Happy cried.

"Natsu wait," Wendy shouted. "It's dangerous." While Lucy was talking to Happy, Natsu had taken it upon himself to stick his head out of the window.

"Look at me little buddy," He called. "Blub! Blub! Blu-" Suddenly, the structure started moving. Natsu and Wendy were back to feeling pukey.

 _That's what you get Natsu!_ Lucy thought.

"Hello," A voice called. They all turned in the direction of the voice and a familiar face emerged from the shadows.

"Welcome to the moving temple Olympia. I'm your captain Sorano!"

"WHAT!"

"That's right," Sorano exclaimed. "I'm the spy!"

"Why wasn't it Cobra?" Erza pressed.

"He would've asked a lot of questions and wasted time," Mest answered.

"Look we're not comrades okay," Sorano informed them. "I just owe Mest a favor!"

"Regardless, thank you for this Angel….Sorano," Lucy said. She was trying to be kind, but Sorano approached her and plucked her bikini strap.

"Don't forget, I was the one who killed Karen," She whispered.

"Enough Sorano," Erza called.

"Yeah! Yeah!"

Lucy gulped, last time she tried to be nice to her.

"Where are we going?" Happy asked.

"We're going to where Makarov is blue cat," Sorano answered.

"I'm an exceed," Happy corrected her.

"Wait, you know where Master is?" Erza asked.

"Yep," Sorano said with a pop at the end. "You'll be reunited with your master very soon, so sit tight because you'll need all the energy that you can muster."

* * *

It wasn't long before the underwater temple stopped moving.

"This is your destination," She announced. "Now get off!" Mest was the only one who bothered to say thank you this time. They all were teleported onto dry land and found themselves in the middle of a forest with strangely twisted trees.

"Okay," Mest said. "I think that I should be the only one to teleport and grab master."

"Last time you went off by yourself you came back all beat up," Gray stated.

"That's because I was trying to do more than I'm going to do right now," Mest explained. "I'm just going to grab master and bring him back here."

"It's a good idea," Erza agreed. "We can't all go in there at once."

"I agree," Lucy said. "Mest should just go, we can all wait here." Everyone ended up agreeing with the plan and waiting. Mest disappeared and everyone just waited.

In a second, he reappeared with someone in his hands. Once he laid that person on the ground, everyone's face lit up in delight.

"Master!"

"Gramps!"

"Old Man!"

"You…..you all are here," Makarov said.

"Yes and we're really happy to see you," Wendy stated. Makarov stood up slowly and then leaned against a tree.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked. "What happened?" Mest looked over at Makarov, who did not say anything.

"Zeref was there," Mest informed them.

"Wait, _Zeref_ is here?" Gray asked.

"I had no idea that the man they called emperor on this continent was Zeref himself," Makarov said.

"This is crazy," Happy commented.

"I'm guessing Mest filled all of you kids in?" He asked. They all nodded in response.

"It was naive of me to think that it would go so well," Makarov stated. "I even went as far as to soil the guild's long history by disbanding it and coming here. It…..it turns out that he had no intention of negoitating at all. This was all for nothing."

Gray sighed, "Not all of it was pointless. I'm sure everyone would agree with me saying that we've grown a lot over the past year."

"And now we're all together again," Lucy added.

"Master, if the drive behind one's actions is the thought for another, then it is never meaningless," Erza said. "You taught us that."

Natsu went up to the man that became one of his heroes and extended his hand out to him.

"Let's go home gramps," Natsu said. "Fairy Tail isn't complete without you." Lucy noticed that tears started to fall from Makarov's eyes and she smiled. He was clearly touched by Natsu's words.

"Hey, I'm sorry to break up the reunion, but I think that we should remember that we are still in enemy territory," Carla interjected.

"Who are you?" Makarov asked.

"Master that's Carla," Wendy answered.

"When did you become….."

"Transformation magic," Carla replied.

"Everyone! Unfortunately, I've used my teleporting skills too frequently today," Mest informed them. "Right now, I only have enough power to move everyone once more and I think that we should-"

"Aw! Makarov you heading home now?" They all turned and saw a young man with wild dark brown hair. He had two large earrings.

"Ajeel!"

"No way, how did he find us?"

"Sand….it can tell you so much about the land."

Lucy shuddered, he had the same power level as the wizard with the green hair that they had met previously. Nonetheless, she readied herself along with everyone else.

"Stop! None of you attack him," Makarov cautioned. "There is no way that you can beat him."

"These are orders from our master! We need to move," Erza commanded.

"I've got a magical vehicle ready back here," Carla said. "Follow me." They all followed Carla and piled into the vehicle that was waiting for them.

"Hold on, I'll drive," Erza said as she put on the SE plug. "Let's get out of here!"


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever.**

 **That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it!**

"What the heck is that?" Happy asked. Lucy looked out the window and saw a gigantic figure following them.

"It's looks like sand monster," She exclaimed.

"Lucy come on, we need to intercept the attacks," Gray said as he started to climbed through one of the windows.

"Right!"

"Wait you two! Don't you remember what I said?"

"Sorry master, you never know unless you try," Lucy said. She and Gray ended up on the roof of the vehicle. Black markings started to appear over Gray's body. Lucy grabbed one of her keys and turned it towards her.

"Star dress: Sagittarius form," She shouted. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, she wore a green dress, black boots, and of course she had a bow and arrow. The form was completed with Sagittarius zodiac symbol on her arm.

"Ice Make Silver," Gray said. Suddenly, everything around the monster besides them turned to ice. Unfortunately, that didn't last long. The ice turned into sand and all these flying sand monsters started toward them.

"Leave it to me," Lucy said as she raised her bow. "Starshot!" She shot her arrow and managed to hit all of the monsters.

"Alright!" Then he disappeared before their eyes.

"Wait, where'd he go!"

"He's gone!" That's when the vehicle started shaking and then the vehicle started to feel like it was sinking.

"Oh no!"

"What!"

"Everyone get out of the car," Erza shouted. Lucy struggled in the sand.

 _Come on!_ She thought. _Come on! It can't be the end!_

Like that, she felt something warm and all of the sand evaporated. Lucy landed on her feet.

"You made my sand evaporate?" Ajeel asked with an almost perplexed look on his face. Natsu didn't waste anytime though, he jumped up and punched the wizard in the face. Even though he went flying, they remained on their guard. Which was a good thing since Ajeel appeared in front of them in no time at all.

"Oh wow, its been a while since I felt a good punch like that," He announced.

 _Okay not the weirdest thing that I've heard come out of somebody's mouth._ Lucy thought. Ajeel looked exhilarated after Nastu punched him.

"Give me all you got," He shouted and the ground started to shake. They felt themselves sinking once again.

"Too slow!"

"Damn you," Makarov shouted and they all ended up being lifted into the air in Makarov's hand. Their master was now using his magic.

"I won't let you lay a hand on my kids!"

"Gramps, stop! We can fight!"

"Natsu be quiet," Lucy shouted. "You're too loud!"

"Well you're shouting too!"

"Shut up you two," Erza commanded.

"Yes ma'am!"

"You thought that you could protect them didn't you Makarov? After all this time you still don't seem to grasp the power of the Spriggan 12," Ajeel stated. "The sands of death!" The ground started to shake and they all saw a large wave of sand heading right at them.

"I will protect you all," Makarov said.

"Mest, teleport us somewhere," Erza said.

"Where?"

"Anywhere!"

"This is the end! Everyone who comes in contact with this sand dries up from the inside," Ajeel informed them proudly.

Although, before it could touch anyone in the Fairy Tail guild, a bolt of lighting came down. Makarov jumped out of the way.

They all looked up and saw a flying ship with a lightning dragon slayer standing on it.

"Laxus!"

"He just took the sandstorm out with one attack," Erza said.

"Man, he's always been a showoff hasn't he?" Gray asked.

"I don't know about show off, but I'm certainly a little scared," Lucy commented.

"Me too," Wendy agreed.

"Well I'm not," Natsu said. "I've gotten a lot stronger this past year I could-" Once again, without warning Mest teleported them-this time onto the ship. Lucy opened her eyes and saw that there were others on board with Laxus as well.

"Hey Lucy!"

"Levy!"

" _Wait_ , this is a ship! How am I not feeling pukey?" Natsu asked. "How are Gajeel and Laxus not looking pukey!"

"Can you please stop saying pukey," Gajeel complained.

"This is a ship that is customized to carry dragon slayers as well."

"Ichiya!"

"You Fairy Tail members say a lot in unison don't you!"

"You guys are okay!" They saw that the Strauss siblings were there, so was Cana, Pantherlily, the Thunder Legion, and-

"Master! Gray! You're both okay," Juvia shouted as she tried to hug Gray.

"Why are you here?" Gray asked, looking very uncomfortable.

"Our plan to save master included Laxus," Mira explained.

"My problem is that you all decided to sneak behind our backs," Gajeel shouted.

"It was a _secret_ mission," Erza replied. "Secret!"

"Hey you all! Don't you run away!" A bolt of sand came flying towards the ship, but it was intercepted by another bolt of lighting.

"We're not running away idiot," Laxus said. "We're going home because we don't want to miss dinner!" The ship started back the way it came with a huge lightning explosion behind it.

"We're having dinner after this?" Natsu asked.

"Duh," Laxus replied.

"Yeah! Now let's fight-"

"Shut up."

As the ship soared through the air, Makarov looked around at the people who had come to rescue him.

"Thank you all," Makarov said. "You are all the best family that a man could ask for!"

"Aw!"

"Group hug!"

"No, we're not having a group hug!"

"If we are, keep Ichiya out of it!"

"Man!"

Once they brought Makarov back to Magnolia, it didn't take long for the days to fly by-at least to Lucy. She found herself sitting at a table, in the newly rebuilt guild just looking around. They were having another "Welcome back Master" party. They had one when they came back initially, but the guild still wasn't done yet. Now that it was….it was party time.

"Hey Lucy!" A pink haired fire dragon slayer sat down in front of her.

Lucy smiled, "Hey."

"How you doing?" He asked.

"I'm fine."

"Really?"

"I'm fine."

"Really?"

"Yes Natsu, I'm okay," She assured him.

"Good because now that the guild is back, jobs will be flooding in," Natsu stated. "Which means that me, you, and Happy will have to head out on another one soon."

Lucy smiled, "Fine, but I get to pick this one."

" _Okay_ ," Natsu said rolling his eyes, although he had a genuine smile on his face. "But nothing involving books alright."

"Hey! You guys are the ones who picked that one," Lucy exclaimed. "And you only roped me in because I was a blonde."

"I told you this before, it wasn't because you were blonde. It was because you were nice," Natsu said. "Though that changed over time."

"Hey," Lucy yelled as she tried to reach over and hit him. Natsu moved away, laughing. For a moment, the two of them just sat there laughing at memories.

"Natsu."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For bringing me to Fairy Tail," Lucy answered. "It changed my life." She truly felt that way. If it wasn't for meeting Natsu and Happy in Hargeon, who knows where she might of ended up. Sure, she had wanted to join Fairy Tail, but who knows how long it would have taken her to actually make it here?

Natsu's eyes widened, he totally taken off guard by her saying that.

"Lu-"

"Hey what are you lovebirds talking about!" Cana Alberona had joined them at the table. Lucy could feel herself turning red.

"Cana!"

"Relax we all knew it was-"

"Have a drink," Lucy shouted as she shoved Cana's drink into her face to shut her up.

"Yo Salamander!" Gajeel approached them with Wendy walking behind him.

"So the munchkin tells me that she has the problem now too," Gajeel said.

"I told you, I developed it over the past year," Wendy said.

"Wendy has motion sickness too," Cana exclaimed as she poured herself another drink.

"Everyone!" The entire guild stopped what they were doing and turned to the stage to see Makarov standing there with a serious expression on his face.

"I know that I was the one who lost our home," Makarov said. "I can't apologize enough for that. My plan was a failure and now Alvarez is going to attack us."

"So what," Natsu shouted and everyone turned to him. He got up from his seat and started walking towards the stage.

"We've fought for this guild so many times," He said. "No matter how strong the enemy is, the will to protect everyone that we love has made us stronger." He walked on stage and stood in front of Master Makarov.

"It's not that I'm scared, don't get me wrong," Natsu stated. "I just believe that the real fear is the happy days may not continue. In order to laugh together, to have carefree days….we need to fight! Our goal is not victory….we're fighting to live!" Everyone in the guild cheered.

"You're right Natsu," Makarov said as he lifted his staff into the air. "They're going to regret challenging our family!" The staff shined bright as everyone got all fired up.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever.**

 **That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it!**

Everyone was excited and pumped after hearing Makarov's declaration. The general feeling in the room was determination. Though, that didn't stop confusion from emerging after Makarov made another announcement.

"There is something else that you all should know before you go into battle," He said. "The official name of the lumen histoire is Fairy Heart."

Before he could tell them anymore, he was interrupted by an unexpected visitor-Mavis, the first master of Fairy Tail.

She made her way to the front and stood next to the 8th master while explaining that Fairy Heart was the guild's most protected information by far. She stated that there was a reason that Zeref wanted this power and began telling them her story with the dark wizard.

"But that combination gave birth to indescribable magic," She said. "A kind of magic that could shake the very foundations of the magical world: eternity magic, Fairy Heart."

 _Eternity magic?_ Lucy thought.

She certainly knew what the word eternity meant, but this was the first time that she had heard about something like this. As Mavis discussed it, a little shiver went down Lucy's spine. The shear power of what was under the guild scared her a little bit and looking around it was clear that she was not the only one.

Of course, Alvarez was now aware of Fairy Heart's existence and planned to come and take it from them. Mavis guessed that they wanted the power because they wanted to take down Acnologia. Happy raised the question of why they couldn't use it on both Aconologia and Alvarez. Makarov said that even if they won that round, there would be no telling what it would do next.

It was just too unpredictable and unpredictable could be dangerous.

Mavis blamed herself, but was soon cheered up by the other members. The ones (including Lucy), who appreciated the fact that she created this guild and swore to protect it. Gajeel even offered a surprising bit of encouragement.

"It's not a sin to fall in love," He stated. "You can't arrest someone for that." Now that shocked a few people, including Levy. That didn't surprise Lucy, she had suspected that something was going on between the two, but there was never time to bring it up to Levy.

Eventually, she'd get to tease her friend about her crush.

Juvia was touched by the fact that Mavis has to fight someone she once loved and Freed voiced a concern that was weighing in the back of all of their minds.

"Zeref's immortal isn't he?" Freed asked.

"Right, which means that even if we do something about the Alvarez soldiers, we'll still have him to deal with," Bickslow replied.

"Don't worry, just leave it to me!" Natsu jumped on top of a table and informed them all of his secret technique. That was when Lucy realized that in all the days that they've traveled together, she's never seen him without that arm wrapped up.

Now she was just as curious as everyone else, although she was dealing with her curiosity much better than Gray and Gajeel. They physically tried to get Natsu to take his bandage off, but not surprisingly the fire dragon slayer was putting up a fight.

"I have a few plans as well," Mavis announced. "But for now, let's trust Natsu." A thought popped into Lucy's head and she stepped up.

"Master."

Four different people answered her.

" _8th_ Master."

"Yes?" Makarov asked.

"Could you tell us a bit about who we're going up against?"

He nodded, "Good idea, let me tell you all what I know." He started off by talking about how Emperor Spriggan was known as Zeref in Ishgar and told them that his small elite force was called the Spriggan 12.

"I spent a year there," Makarov said. "And I only met six of them. It's could be because it is much bigger there, so they don't always gather together."

He talked about the Winter General Invel, Zeref's closest aid and consul. He stated that as his name suggests he most likely uses ice magic. Then, he mentioned Ajeel, who was someone that they met in their escape. There was also Brandish, who was the wizard they had met in Caracall Island. Next was Diamaria the war princess, who was a female knight. He talked about God Serena, who was originally part of the ten wizards saints at rank number 1. It turned out that he chose to leave Isghar and join Alvarez.

"His strength is not something to be taken lightly," Makarov warned. "Trust me on this." Finally, he spoke about the magic king August, who apparently was on a whole different level. The look on Makarov's face sufficiently scared everyone a little bit.

"For the remaining three, I just have names," He stated. "Bloodman, Neinhart, and Wall." The guild launched into another round of murmurs after hearing this information.

"Alright everyone," Mavis prompted. "Let's start planning now then. We'll need everyone in the guild for this. Now, we are most definitely at a disadvantage at this point. The enemies that we are about to face are like none that we've faced before. What we have is our courage and our bonds to help us pull trhough. Let's show them what this guild is made of!"

"Yeah!" Everyone in the guild cheered.

A few days later, Lucy was sitting in her home at her desk. For a moment she sat there just listening to the quiet streets. They had been evacuating civilians for the past three days. Now there was no one left in Magnolia but people in the Fairy Tail guild. The three days had not been a lot of time to put their plans into motion, but they were grateful for it. Grateful that Alvarez did not attack the first day that Mavis had talked to them. Now, she was sure that they were ready for the most part. All that was left to do was wait.

Lucy began writing in her journal, but suddenly she felt a searing pain in her head and shut her eyes.

 _She found herself staring at a reflection, excepect the reflection was not of her-it was of her mother._

 _"What is happening?" Lucy asked. She wasn't in her apartment anymore, she was in some sort of room. It was cold and a little creepy._

 _Was she dreaming?_

 _What was going?_

 _When she looked back at the reflection she saw that her mother was no longer there, she had been replaced by a blonde woman that Lucy didn't recognize. Her hair was tied up into a ponytail and she had a gentle smile on her face._

 _"We are almost there," She said. Her voice echoed throughout wherever Lucy was._

 _"Who are you?" Lucy asked. The woman slowly lifted her hand and Lucy had to blink a few times. It almost looked like it was coming towards her. She couldn't move at all. It was like she was frozen in her spot. As soon as the woman's index finger made contact with Lucy's forehead, everything disappeared._

"Lucy! Lucy!"

"Wake up Lucy!" She could feel herself being shaken and opened her eyes. She sat up and

looked around. Natsu and Happy were staring at her with worried looks on their faces.

"Why are you here?" Lucy asked. "Don't tell me you guys climbed in through the window and why are you here without-"

"Forget that," Natsu interjected. "We found you passed out at your desk!"

"Lucy, are you okay?" Happy asked.

"I'm fine."

"Are you?" Natsu asked. "Because you passed out in the middle of a fight at Carcall Island too!"

"What," Happy exclaimed. He wasn't told about that incident.

"Natsu, I'm fine," Lucy said louder than she really meant too. She just felt like she needed

to deal with whatever was happening to on her own. They had a lot of other things to worry about. Sure it was a bit selfish, but she has had to deal with her problems by herself for a little bit now.

"No you're not!"

"Seriously? Why do you choose now to be perceptive?"

"Because I'm worried about you," Natsu yelled. "... _we're_ worried about you."

Lucy frowned, "You confuse me."

"What?"

"One minute you're saying something that's so…. _Natsu_. Then, you're saying something so….not Natsu," She answered. "It's confusing."

"...Now I'm confused."

"Honestly Lucy it has gotten much worse over the past year," Happy stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh really?"

"Wait! We're not talking about me, we're talking about the fact that we found you passed out," Natsu said.

"You're really not going to let this go are you?"

"Lucy, come on," Natsu urged.

"Talk to us," Happy added as he flew down and snuggled into her lap. Lucy looked at the exceed in her lap and the guy sitting in front of her.

" _Fine_ , to be honest there's not much to say," Lucy began. "I've just been having very vivid…. _dreams_ I guess. At first most of them had to do with my Mom. One was where I was little and I talked to her at her desk. That's something that I used to do and it seems like a memory until your mother turns to sand in front of you. Then it becomes a nightmare. There was another where she was surrounded by light as well. I thought that maybe it was just my mind's way of reminding me how much I missed her. Recently, I stopped having as many dreams about Mom. I would ust dream about random things like sitting on a hill with sprawling grass or talking to a dragon. The only times that I have ever fainted have been on Carcall Island and right now." After she finished speaking, it was silent for a moment.

"See I told you," She continued. "There's nothing wrong. I'm going to be okay." She was looking at Natsu, whose expression was unreadable.

"Lucy." Lucy looked down at Happy.

"Yes?"

"When did you start dreaming about your Mom all the time?" Happy asked.

"Well, maybe about a month before you two showed up in Crocus," Lucy answered. "I've had dreams about my Mother before, but never every other night." She glanced over at Natsu, who was still staring at her.

"What?"

"I'm going to make sure that I find you."

"What?"

"I'll make sure that I see you at least once everyday," Natsu stated.

"Natsu, that's impossible! There's going to be a war. We will get sep-"

"Lucy, when have we not done the impossible?" Happy asked.

"You're right little buddy," Natsu exclaimed. "Nothing is impossible in our book." Natsu and Happy high-fived.

Lucy laughed, "I guess it's useless to argue."

"Yep!" While her companions were laughing, Lucy looked around and saw a pile of stuff on her couch.

"What's that?"

"Oh right!" Happy flew over to the stuff.

"We brought games and food so we could hang out," He announced.

"Seriously? Don't you guys want to sleep?"

"But we're not tired!"

They eventually fell asleep.

Not wanting to have them in her bed, Lucy made Natsu and Happy a makeshift bed on the floor. She snuggled into her own bed, with the intention of going to sleep.

Three hours later, Lucy Heartfilia was nowhere near asleep.

She groaned, "Why me?"

"Why you what?" Lucy glanced over and saw Natsu looking at her.

"Have you been awake this entire time?" Lucy whispered, trying not to wake up Happy as well.

"Well-" He was cut off by the sound of his own stomach growling.

"Of course," Lucy said, though she gave him a small smile.

"It's not weird for my stomach to wake me up," Natsu stated. "I was just going to get up and sneak into your kitchen. That's when I saw that you were awake too."

"You were going to steal food from me?"

"I would have replaced everything I ate."

"Uh-huh."

"Have you slept at all?" Natsu asked.

Lucy shook her head, "No...I guess I'm just nervous or something. That's not unusual for me though. Unlike you two, I can't get excited about fighting." She saw Natsu frown.

"What?"

"You've got that wrong," Natsu said. "Sure, I love a good fight. A good fight that's a contest of strength. I don't like fights to the death." That statement took Lucy by surprise, but at the same time when she thought back those _were_ the only fights that she ever saw him excited for.

"My favorites are the kind of fights were I get to go all out and compare my strength to my opponents," Natsu explained. "This one is going to be different, it's a fight where we've got to do whatever it takes to win or else there's no future left for us. Which would suck because I got a lot of things that I want to do when this is all over."

"Stop right there!"

"What's wrong?"

"Foreshadowing."

"I'm confused."

"Foreshadowing is where someone talks about their future plans before something big happens. Then, tragedy strikes and they are unable to complete their goals," Lucy stated. "Do you want that to happen to you?"

"No."

"Then stop talking about the future."

Natsu shook his head, "I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because Igneel told me to talk about the future," Natsu replied. "He said that it would make me want to live."

Lucy smiled, "When you put it that way, I guess it is a good idea." For a moment, the room fell into a comfortable silence with the two of them just staring at each other. There really was so much to Natsu that Lucy almost felt like she overlooked despite the fact that she'd been around him for years. Sure, he was reckless, battle-crazy, and dense. At the same time, he could be perceptive, thoughtful, and much more sensitive than she thought that he would care to admit. He also had such a way with words that made her wonder if she really was the only writer out of the two of them. Natsu Dragneel was-

 _Grrrr_

The sound of Natsu's stomach successfully broke the two of them out of their thoughts. Feeling a little embarrassed, Lucy sat up and got out of bed.

"I'm going to make some tea," She whispered. "Do you want any?" Uncharacteristically, Natsu nodded wordlessly.

She nodded, "I'll bring you a snack too." With that, she walked into her kitchen. Natsu laid on his back and stared at the ceiling. He felt like his heart was beating so loud, that he thought for sure that Happy was going to wake up.

Natsu shook his head, he needed to calm down. There was no reason….no reason that he should be thinking of Lucy like that….

This was _Lucy_.

 _Lucy._

With her hair and her voice and her smile and her laugh and her-

Oh no.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever.**

 **That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it!**

Lucy managed to get two hours of sleep before being awaken by a crash outside her apartment. She sat up and turned to see that her companions were awake as well.

"What was that?" Happy asked.

"It has to have come from outside," Lucy replied. She looked out of her window and saw what looked like sand being carried down by the wind the empty streets of Magnolia . Lucy looked up at the sky.

"Oh my gosh." There were tons of ships sailing above them in the sky. All of them had the Alvarez crest on them. Suddenly, they heard bells ringing.

"That's the signal," Natsu said.

"Oh great," Lucy commented before running over to her desk to grab her keys. That's when she heard a knock on her window.

"It's Gajeel, Wendy, Carla, and Pantherlily," Happy stated. "Oh that's right Natsu, we've gotta go."

Natsu nodded, "Lucy-"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," She assured him. "I'll change and be right behind you too. Good luck." Natsu and Happy said goodbye before leaving and joining the members of Team Flying Dragon. After they left, Lucy changed quickly and put on her belt with her keys. She opened a small box on her desk and pulled out what was left of her Aquarius key. Thinking about her dear friend, Lucy closed her eyes and brought the key to her heart.

"Please lend me your strength Aquarius," She whispered before attaching the key to her belt along with the others.

 _I've gotta get moving._ She thought. _I need to go help out._

She was just about to leave her home when she heard a strange noise coming from her room.

 _Is someone in here?_

She opened the door and heard that the sounds were coming from her bathroom. Preparing herself, Lucy put her hand on the doorknob and opened the door.

"What!"

"God, can you please not scream like that?"

Lucy's mouth dropped and she nearly fell over. One of the Spriggan 12 was sitting in her bathtub like there wasn't a war going on at the moment. It was the girl with green hair, the one they had met on Caracall Island.

"What are you doing here?" Lucy pressed.

"You know I can't quite figure out why you look so familiar," She said.

"You-You're Brandish."

"Glad you know who I am. Saves me from introducing myself," Brandish stated. "Now….come join me."

"What! No, that's too weird."

"Oh really? Is too weird if I completely shrink this entire town? I'm sure you remember what happened to Caracall Island?"

Lucy shuddered, "I-"

"You know what? Since you won't get in the bath with me, why don't you make me some tea and we'll talk in your sitting room."

"Wh-"

"I'm thirsty so make me some tea," Brandish interjected. "And don't even think about running. You lost the battle as soon as I step foot in your home."

Lucy folded, she had to do what she said. Brandish was threatening to shrink the entire town. She left the bathroom and went into the kitchen to brew some tea, her emotions were still on edge. It was hard to believe that just hours ago she was in here making tea for her and Natsu. Now she was serving that same tea to one of their enemies. She jumped when she turned around. Brandish was already out, fully clothed, and was having a really tiny person paint her toenails. Lucy poured the tea into a cup and brought it over the wizard. Lucy sat down in a seat across from her.

Brandish took a sip, "Decent."

"Thanks?"

She narrowed her eyes, "You're so not cute."

"What?" Brandish pulled out some cat ears and a collar.

"Wear these will you?" Brandish asked.

"No," Lucy replied. Brandish frowned and the building shook. Lucy braced herself, but nothing around her changed.

"What did you just do?" She asked.

"I minimized the building next door," Brandish answered matter-of-factly. "And I will do much more if you refuse me again." Lucy took the cat ears and collar. She put them on and tied the collar around her neck.

"Oh how adorable," Brandish exclaimed.

"Oh let me see! Let me see," The little person shouted. Brandish picked up the person, who after a closer look Lucy realized was Marin Hollow, and put them in a little pink circular box.

"Lady Brandish! Oh come on please Lady Brandish," Marin complained as the lid was placed on top of him.

"I've seen you before somewhere," Brandish stated as she ignored Marin's complaints.

Lucy frowned, "Probably in Sorcerer Weekly, I was a reporter and a-"

"I've never heard of it," Brandish interjected.

"Then the…..Grand Magic Games?" Lucy asked.

"Again, never heard of it," Brandish replied. "I just can't remember…...wow I'm a bit tense give me a massage."

 _What!_ Lucy thought.

"I'm waiting….." Slowly, Lucy got up and walked behind the green haired wizard. She placed her hands on her shoulders and began the massage.

"What's your name?"

"Lucy."

"Hm."

 _You know what, this might be a golden opportunity._ Lucy thought. _She's lowered her guard._

Lucy grabbed Aquarius's former key and took it off of her belt. She wrapped her hand around it and slowly lifted it over Brandish.

"Layla Heartfilia."

Lucy paused, "Huh?"

"You are Layla Heartfilia's daughter aren't you?"

"H-How did…"

"So it's true then?" Lucy felt the floor begin to shake.

"Oh no!" Lucy said. "This is bad." She ran out of the building as fast as she could. She turned around to see Brandish standing over her with a smaller version of Lucy's house under her.

"Too think I've find you in a place like this," Brandish stated.

"What happened between you and my Mother?"

"It's too much trouble, so I won't be talking about it," Brandish answered.

"Get away from her!" Cards flew towards Brandish, who dodged them without taking her eyes off of Lucy.

"Cana!" Lucy had never been more relieved to see the magic card user.

"Lucy, do you really think that this is the time to wear cat ears and...a collar?"

"Oh come on Cana! She forced me to wear them!"

"Uh-huh."

"You know what? Never mind!" Lucy held up the little pink box that she managed to grab before running out, threw it on the ground, and stepped on the spatial magic user. She didn't kill him, just knocked him out.

"Now that he's out of the picture," Lucy said as she pulled out one of her keys. "Star Dress: Aries form!" Lucy's outfit changed into a fluffy pink and white strapless dress with black and white striped leggings. Her hair was tied into ponytails and two ram horns sat on her head. Her outfit was completed with wool warms on her arms and a woolen scarf around her neck. Aries' zodiac sign sat on her left shoulder.

Before they could do anything else, they were suddenly overtaken by an intense sandstorm that was there one moment and gone the next.

"Sheesh, that didn't take long," Cana commented as she looked around.

"Where's Brandish?" Lucy asked. At that moment, they heard a sneeze and the found the wizard crouched down on the ground while covering her nose.

"This stupid town! It has so much pollen," Brandish shouted before sneezing again.

"Hay fever?" Lucy asked.

"Looks like it," Cana replied. "That sandstorm just stirred up all of the pollen in Magnolia so…."

"So...what Cana?" Cana went over and punched Brandish in the back of the head. Just like that, Brandish fell flat on the ground.

"Cana!"

"What! She left herself wide open," Cana argued.

"She's out cold," Lucy said.

"Let's take her back to the guild," Cana decided. Cana bent down and threw one of Brandish's arms over her shoulder. Lucy looked over at the passed out Marin Hallow.

"Can't forget him," Lucy stated. She went over and picked up the small man.

"Wool cushion," She said. She dropped the man on a small ball of wool.

"I didn't know you could do that," Cana stated.

"Practice," Lucy replied. "Believe it or not that's a lot harder than it looks." She grabbed Brandish's other arm and through it over her shoulder.

"Alright use all your muscles Heartfilia," Cana said.

"You act like I'm so weak," Lucy complained as they started towards the guild hall. She glanced over at Brandish's face.

 _"You are Layla Heartfilia's daughter aren't you?"_

Lucy felt like asking her why she hated her mother so much, but it would have been no use. Brandish was in no condition to answer her questions, thanks to Cana's sucker punch.

As they were making their way to the guild, Lucy observed the damage that had occurred, no doubt due to the first wave of invaders.

 _Oh God._ She thought. _Everyone please be okay._ Natsu's face popped up in her mind for a second.

"Lucy! Cana!" The wizards turned and saw their fellow Fairy Tail members standing in the mist of injured enemies.

"You guys are okay," Lucy shouted.

"Cause we're real men," Elfman stated.

"We've taken out the garbage on our end," Gray said, he was shirtless not surprisingly. "Wait, is that who I think it is?"

"Yep," Cana replied. "We're taking one of the 12 back to the guild."

"Lucy, why do you have a pink cloud next to you?" Lisanna asked.

"Because we got her lackey too," Lucy answered.

"Round one goes to Fairy Tail," Elfman cheered.

"Barely," Mirajane said as she looked over at something. Lucy followed her gaze and saw what she was looking at.

"Oh my gosh Erza," Lucy said.

"Don't worry," Wendy said as she was healing her. "Once I'm done, she'll just need to rest a bit."

Lucy smiled, "Good."

 _Boom!_

The town shook as they heard an explosion.

"It sounds like that came from Kardia Cathedral," Juvia said.

"Ever," Elfman yelled.

"Lucy, we should get this one back to the guild," Cana said.

Lucy nodded, "Right."

Lucy was changing her clothes in one of the bathrooms at the guild hall. Once she was done, she glanced over at the window and saw the sun spilling into the room.

 _Morning_

That had to have been the longest night she had ever experienced. She faced the mirror as she tied her hair up in a ponytail.

" _You are Layla Heartfilia's daughter aren't you?"_

" _What happened between you and my Mother?"_

She sighed, "I need to talk to her." She left the bathroom and went down the dungeon where Brandish was being held. She met up with Cana along the way.

"Going to visit our guest?" She asked.

"Yep."

"I'll join you." The two of them made their way down and found two of Fairy Tail's old perverts giggling. Lucy slapped them both of the back of the head.

"Keep it in your pants gentleman," Lucy said.

"Yeah, Master told us to treat her hospitably didn't he?" Cana added.

"We're sorry!"

Ignoring the shenanigans, Lucy took a deep breath before approaching Brandish's cell.

"Tell me, how do you know my mother?" The green haired wizard, who was lying tied up on the ground, looked up at her with an expressionless face.

"You called me Layla's daughter didn't you?" Lucy pressed. "Tell me how you know her?"

Brandish sat up, "I have nothing to say to you. If you're going to kill me, then just do it already."

Lucy frowned, "No. We won't treat you like a prisoner of war here. Now please, tell me about my mother."

"I'm sitting here...tied up in the middle of your precious guild," Brandish stated. "This may be your only chance to get rid of me."

"Lucy don't waste your breath," Cana said. "She's not going to tell you anything."

"...You're right." She took one last look at Brandish before walking away. That's when Lucy stopped in her tracks and saw someone with green hair….crying. She blinked and found that she was back in the dungeon. She turned around and looked back at Brandish's cell.

"Hey are you okay?" Cana asked.

Lucy turned to her friend, "Yeah, sorry I'm fine. Let's go."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever.**

 **That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it!**

Lucy was pacing back and forth on the floor of the Fairy Tail guild hall. While everyone was rushing around, she was once again lost in her thoughts. She and Cana had been assigned to watch over Brandish and make sure that she didn't escape some how. That was fine and all. Not being assigned back out to battle right away was not something that she had a problem with. To be honest, she still had a little hope that Brandish would speak to her. They were connected someway, they had to be. She knew her mother and Lucy couldn't shake the feeling it was not a coincidence that she saw a person with green hair twice in her mind.

"Lucy….Lucy!"

Lucy came faced to faced with Cana, who had an amused look on her face. She had kept her from moving by placing one hand on each of Lucy's shoulders.

"You're making me nervous just watching you," Cana informed her.

"Sorry."

"It's fine, let's go check up on greenie. They're supposed to be periodic visits remember?"

"Greenie?" Lucy asked as she shrugged Cana's hands off her shoulders.

"What? It's because she has green hair," Cana stated.

"Very original Cana," Lucy commented shaking her head. The two of them went down to the dungeon and that's when they heard something troubling.

"What's going on?" Cana asked. "It sounds like someone's choking." It turns out the two of them walked in on Marin Hollow trying to strangle Brandish. Somehow Cana managed to sneak behind Marin and punch him in the back of the head.

"Seriously," Lucy exclaimed in complete disbelief.

"I can't believe that worked twice," Cana said. "Maybe I should just give up card magic."

Lucy went over to Brandish and checked her pulse.

"It seems like she's going to be okay, but we won't know until we get her to up Porlyusica." Their medical advisor was up in the infirmary looking after Freed and the others.

"Okay," Cana said. "Let's take care of this guy though." They put chains of Marin, before taking an unconscious Brandish up to the infirmary.

"Porlyusica, you have another patient," Cana announced. The semi-active Fairy Tail member looked up from a clipboard that she was looking over.

"What happened to her?" She asked.

"She was being strangled by one of her former allies," Cana replied.

"Pretty sure he snuck in here and tried to kill her," Lucy said.

"Which is probably our fault since we did lose him on our way here," Cana added.

"Just lay her in the bed over there," Porlyusica commanded. They brought her over to the bed and laid her down like they were instructed to. Porlyusica examined the wizard.

"Is she going to be okay?" Lucy asked.

"She'll be fine," Porlyusica answered. "In fact, she'll probably wake up within a few minutes."

She was right, in no time Brandish opened her eyes and sat up.

"Where are we?"

"Calm down," Lucy said. "We're in our infirmary."

"W-Where's Marin?"

"You mean the guy who tried to kill you?" Cana asked. "He's locked up now as well."

"These two saved you," Porlyusica said. "So be thankful."

Brandish frowned, "But why….why would you two save someone like me? Someone who's your enemy."

"Because we have a bunch of questions for you," Cana replied.

"You still have the option of torture."

"We're not going to do that," Lucy assured her.

"I don't know Lucy, it kind of sounds like she wants-"

"Cana!"

"Yep, I'm shutting up."

"Plus, it doesn't seem like you're all bad," Lucy stated. Brandish's eyes widened and then she looked down.

"So….you said your questions are about Layla right?"

"Yes."

"Look, I'll tell you what I know. My one condition is that these cuffs have to be off and we have to be alone," Brandish stated.

"Now don't get too-"

"Cana," Lucy interjected. "It'll be okay." The magic card user looked at Lucy and then sighed.

"Fine." She took the cuffs off of Brandish and Porlyusica stood up.

"Just holler if you need me," Cana said. "I'm not afraid to punch her in the back of the head again. I'm 0 for 2 remember?"

"I will," Lucy replied. "And thanks for your help Granny Porlyusica!"

"You can have the key, but I'll be taking the magic sealing stone with me," Porlyuscia replied. Then it was just two of them in the room. For a moment, it was silent. Neither of them looked at each other. Finally, Brandish broke the silence.

"My mother's name was Grammi," Brandish stated. "She was one of your mother's servants."

Lucy gasped, "Really?"

"Yes," She answered. "When your mother retired from being a celestial wizard, she split up her keys between three of her servants. Zoldeo received Capricorn's key, Spetto received Cancer's key and Mother received Aquarius's key." Lucy instinctively touched the keys on her belt, she had all three at one point.

"My mother really admired Layla," Brandish continued. "After she received that key, she would polish it day in and day out. She was so happy but…."

"But what?"

"Layla betrayed her."

"What do you...what do you mean?" Lucy asked. "What did my mother do?" Brandish, who had been looking away from her, turned to face her. She had an expressionless look on her face.

"The key was supposed to be left in my mother's care," Brandish answered. "How do you think that it ended up with you?"

"I-I don't know." Brandish's faced slowly changed into a glare before speaking again.

"Layla had my mother murdered to get her key back."

Lucy felt the world around her stop turning. Everything paused and the words that Brandish spoke repeated once again.

" _Layla had my mother murdered to get her key back."_

 _No…..there was no way….._

"My mother…..she wouldn't," Lucy said.

"Oh how naive," Brandish sneered. "A girl who is living in her own world. I almost feel sorry for you."

"That's not-" Lucy couldn't finished her sentence, because Brandish jumped out of the bed and attacked her. Before Lucy could even register what was going on, she was caught. Brandish had her hand over the wizard's nose and mouth and rendered her limbs immobile. Lucy struggled but it was in vain.

"Look, I don't really have anything against you personally," Brandish whispered. "Your mother is gone, so if I want to avenge my mother then you need to die." Not willing to give up, Lucy continued to struggle. She couldn't go out like this. She couldn't let this happen.

"Please, just die," Brandish cried as she tighted her grip over Lucy's airways. Suddenly Lucy felt herself being grabbed and washed out of Brandish's arms. When she finally got her barings back, she realized that someone very familiar was holding her. There was no mistaking it.

"What were you saying about my key?" Lucy felt a tear roll down her face.

"Aquarius?" The celestial spirit turned and smiled at her.

"Been a while, hasn't it Lucy?"

 _It really was her…_

Upon that realization, Lucy burst into tears and pulled her dear friend into a hug.

"Aquarius! You finally came back to me," She exclaimed. "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too," Aquarius said. "But I haven't exactly come back. It's been a year since the Tartaros incident…and as a result a new key of the water bear has shown up in this world. As...a sort of celebration, the Celestial Spirit King has decided to temporarily open the door to this world with his own power. That being said, our reunion can't be too long."

Lucy nodded, "I understand. As long as I get you to see you again."

Aquarius smiled and then looked over at Brandish. The green hair wizard was sitting against the wall, soaked from Aquarius's intervention.

"Long time no see to you, I suppose," Aquarius said.

"Wait, you guys know each other?" Lucy asked.

"She said it herself didn't she? My key was in her mother's care for some time," Aquarius explained. "The two of us used to play together all the time, didn't we Brandish?"

No reply.

"Hey you little squirt! Would it _kill_ you to say hello after all this time?"

Brandish, surprised by Aquariu's out burst, said, "My deepest apologies master."

"Wait, Master," Lucy shouted. "What are you making her call you master!"

"Lucy, let me handle this," Aquarius said. "I know how to deal with her." She turned back to Brandish.

"You have really have become a coniving little bitch haven't you? You know you'll never get a boyfriend if you have a shitty as attitude! Got it!"

"Yes!"

"Lucy is my master and by proximity she is yours. You know full well what that means don't you Brandish?"

"But Brandish I'm not-"

"Lucy."

"Shutting up."

"Even though that may be the case, I can never forgive Layla for killing my mother," Brandish stated.

"Lucy is not Layla though is she?" Aquarius asked. "Not to mention, Layla did not kill Grammi to begin with. She would never have; not in a million years. You know what? I can show you better than I can tell you."

"Wait show-" The room disappeared and Lucy found herself almost floating in the air. She went to move her feet and realized that someone very different was there instead.

"I have a tail," Lucy said. "What is this?"

"We're mermaids," Brandish stated. Lucy looked over at her and then looked down at herself.

"Yes, Yes. You two are both mermaids, now this is the memory of the stars," Aquarius informed them. "What you two are about to see if an archive of memories woven by celestial spirits for generations. Everything projected to you here is the absolute truth. Now follow me and Brandish you can't get out of here without."

"I wasn't even going to try it."

"What'd you say?"

"Nothing!"

Without another word, they followed Aquarius and soon saw a picture coming into view. It was a woman, a woman with blonde hair tied up into a ponytail. The same woman that Lucy had seen in her dream.

" _We are almost there."_

"It's her," Lucy exclaimed without thinking.

"What?" Aquarius asked.

"Oh, uh nothing sorry. I thought it was someone else," Lucy replied. Aquarius looked like she didn't quite believe her answer, but she didn't say anything else.

"The woman that you two are seeing is none other than Anna Heartfilia," Aquarius explained. "She is Lucy's ancestor and possibly the greatest celestial wizard to ever live. 400 years ago, The celestial wizards, the dragons, and the black wizard collaborated on a plan to send powerful wizards to the future to defeat Aconologia. The wizards were sent on that journey through the door of eclipse. As you know it is a form of magic. By nature, it requires the use two celestial wizards to attend to its entrance and exit. Anna opened the entrance and then years later the door was opened by Layla."

 _Oh wow._ Lucy thought as she viewed the projection of her mother with the zodiac keys spread out on her desk.

"In order to finally open the door, all 12 zodiac keys were required," Aquarius continued. "Layla gather the keys that she herself had handed down and contacted the world's celestial wizards to ensure that they were all collected. The only problem was that she could not contact Grammi." The projection changed to Brandish's mother.

"Grammi had traveled to the continent of Arakitashia," Aquarius stated. "To compensate, Layla went ahead and used her own lifeforce to make up for the missing magic key. She was successful in her attempt to open the door, but she soon fell ill with magic deficency." Lucy frowned, she was remembering all of those times that she went to visit her mother in her room while she was sick and not realizing that she was going to die very soon. Acting like in a week they were going to go visit their favorite shops and play outside together.

"It was not until seven days after the fact that the news had reached Grammi's ears and she came to Layla's side at once."

The projection changed to Layla and Grammi speaking in Lucy's parents' room.

"I'm no longer worthy of possessing this key," Grammi stated. "Please take it in your hands once more."

"Alas, I cannot weild celestial spirit magic anymore."

"Then please Miss Layla, please let me give it to Miss Lucy," Grammi pleaded. "I am sure that young girl will become an amazing celestial wizard in your place!" She was crying and the vision of that gave Lucy another sense of deja vu.

 _Green hair….crying….._

She had seen this as well.

Layla sighed, "All that I have ever wanted was for my beloved daughter to live freely and with a smile on her face. Now that the duty of the Heartfilia family has been fulfilled, that dream can come true. Which reminds me, how is your Brandish? Still as full of energy as ever?"

"Well yes," Grammi answered. "Although, without Aquarius I am sure that she is feeling a bit lonely."

"She is the same age of my Lucy is she not?" Layla asked.

"Why yes. I will bring her along the next time I come to visit you," Grammi replied.

Layla smiled, "I do hope that become great friends one day."

"They will. For that, I am certain."

The scene changed to Grammi leaving the Heartfilia mansion, she was wiping away her tears with a hankerchief.

Splurt!

Lucy gasped as she saw a man pop out of nowhere and stab Grammi.

"Mother," Brandish shouted. "Stay away from her!" Brandish tried to rush towards the projection but Lucy grabbed her and tried to hold her back.

"I beg of you Zoldeo….spare my daughter's life in exchange for my own…..please grant me that one wish…." The projection went black and Lucy managed to pull a crying Brandish into a hug. She noticed that they were back in the infirmary too.

"I know that it may be a little late," Lucy said. "But maybe we can be best friends from now on, just like our mothers." The two of them broke apart and Lucy gave Brandish a small smile.

"Lucy," Aquarius said. "There's something else that I-"

"Help! Anybody please!" All of a sudden, Happy came flying into the infirmary with…

"Happy what-"

"Natsu just passed out and stopped moving all of a sudden! Someone! Anyone! You have to save him!"


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever.**

 **That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it! It's nice to see that there's an interest in this story. It really does make me happy, because I enjoy working on this.**

Happy laid Natsu down on one of the beds. Lucy got up and went over to him. She looked down at Natsu, this was one of her worst fears come true.

She shook him, "Natsu, hey! Please Natsu answer me!"

"What's going on?" Cana and Porlyusica had entered the room.

"Natsu….went to go fight Zeref….but we temporarily retreated….and then….and then…..he just passed out! I carried him here as fast as I could," Happy recounted. Lucy listened for Natsu's heartbeat and her blood ran cold.

"I...I can't hear anything." With her hands slightly shaking, she touched his cheek.

"Natsu…."

"Lucy, get out of the way," Porlyusica said as she shoved the celestial wizard away from the fire dragon slayer. Lucy thought nothing of it though, mostly because the only thing that was on her mind was Natsu's condition. Porlyusica was his best chance right now. After examining him, the pink haired woman sighed.

Lucy frowned, "What's wrong?"

"This is a direct result of this child's overexertion. He is always pushing himself and because of this an anti-ethernano tumor has developed in him," She stated.

"It's treatable right?" Cana asked. "He's going to be fine….right?"

"Surgery is the only option," Porlyusica replied. "If it isn't removed quickly, he will perish." Happy started shaking and crying. Lucy wrapped her arms around the exceed and gave him a hug.

"L-Lucy."

"I know Happy, I know." She rubbed his head.

"What about Wendy or Chelia's healing powers?" Cana asked. "I know they'd be willing to-"

"This is far beyond the scope of these two."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Lucy asked. "Just sit here and let him die?" That came out a lot harsher than she had meant it to be, but she felt like her emotions were on overdrive. She was trying to be strong, so she wouldn't make Happy any more upset than he was. It was hard. After finding out about her and Brandish's mothers and now this.

"These magic seals, could you remove them for me?" Lucy turned around and looked at the green haired wizard.

"Brandish?"

"Please," She answered. "I would like to help. My magic is capable of altering the size of all matter in the world. If we can pinpoint the exact location of the tumor, then I can shrink it." The room was silent for a minute.

"C-Can you really do that?" Happy asked as he turned fully around in Lucy's lap so he could face Brandish.

Brandish nodded, "I can."

Lucy looked at Brandish and nodded. She didn't see any sort of deceit or anything in her eyes. She genuinely wanted to do this and that almost made Lucy really burst into tears.

"Thank you so much."

After shrinking Natsu's tumor, Brandish did not run away. She let them put the magic seals on her and take her back. Although her one request was to have her coat and since she'd helped them they could at least offer her that much. Lucy and Happy had tried to thank her, but Brandish returned to the colder side of her personality.

Aquarius left, but Lucy got to speak with her before she did. She talked about how her key had been reincarnated and that it was somewhere in this world. The celestial spirit also made it clear that she wasn't getting any hints from her. Lucy responded by telling her that she was going to find her no matter what and the celestial spirit left with a smile on her face.

Now she was back in the infirmary with Natsu and Happy. She thought about how much she thought that she would never see Natsu seriously injured like this. Sure he had full body casts and stuff but she was really scared for his life. She'd always thought that he would bounce back quickly and he had. Now, going through what they did today, it forced her for a moment to think about her life without Natsu. Not having him over her house eating all of food or going on jobs with him.

 _Should I just learn to prepare myself to lose people that I care about?_ She thought.

The word care repeated in her mind. She cared about Natsu of course, he was her best friend. Yet, why did-

"How's Natsu doing?"

She nearly jumped when she heard Freed's voice. She turned to look at her fellow guild member.

"Sorry did I scare you?" He asked.

"A little...bit it's fine," Lucy replied.

Freed nodded, "So...how is he doing?"

"He's still unconscious," Lucy responded. "How are Bickslow, Ever and….Ichiya is here right?"

"Maaaaan!"

"Bickslow and Ever will be okay," Freed answered. "And Ichiya…..sounds fine. Do you know where Laxus is?"

"He's headed south with Erza and the rest of them to free Halicon," Lucy said.

"Gray, Wendy, and Carla are there too," Happy added. He was back in Lucy's lap, which Lucy didn't mind at all. She suspected that it gave him comfort and honestly it gave her comfort too.

"I see," Freed said. "I hope they're not pushing themselves too hard."

"Freed, you know who your talking about right?" Lucy asked.

He chuckled, "You're right." He said goodbye and left the two of them alone with Natsu again.

"Lucy."

"Yeah Happy?"

"Could you tell me one of your stories?"

"Huh?"

"One of the stories that you're always writing."

"Oh okay, which one do you want to here?"

"Anyone please."

Lucy smiled, "I know the perfect one. It's called _The Dragon, The Princess, and The Dog._ "

Lucy didn't know when it happened, but at some point she had definitely fallen asleep. For a second, she forgot where she was and then she remembered. She sat up and saw Happy standing by Natsu's head. He was looking down at the fire dragon slayer with a sad expression of his face.

"Happy…"

"Lucy, you're awake." She heard cheering downstairs.

"Do you know what happened?"

"I heard Warren shouting that another of the enemy's beacons disappeared," Happy stated.

"Oh….that's great." It was progressively noisier and then Lucy felt herself being sucked into a very cramped, but familiar place.

"Just in the nick of time Lucy!"

"Horologium?" Lucy was inside the celestial spirit's protective base with Natsu and Happy. Of course, that also meant that Natsu and Lucy were….um….well….

"I felt a distortion in space and I knew that I had to come and get you," Horologium declared proudly. "Although unfortunately, you're naked because that's how defense magic works." Lucy was torn between feeling grateful and utterly embarrassed.

"Can you please just let us out now," Lucy exclaimed. "It's too cramped for three people."

"It seems as though the danger is gone, so you're free to exit," Horologium said and Lucy jumped out. She grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around herself.

"Thank you Horologium for saving us."

"You are very welcome Lucy." Horologium disappeared and Lucy heard giggling beside her.

"Happy, what's so funny?" Lucy looked in the direction the exceed was pointing and shreeked.

"Happy why!" That only made him laugh harder. When he calmed down, Lucy noticed something downstairs.

"That voice, I don't recognize it," Lucy said. In fact, that voice gave her a bad feeling. "We should go check it out." Happy nodded and Lucy went over to her belt. She changed into her Taurus star dress form.

 _Better safe than sorry._ She thought. _Plus there's no way in hell I'm walking around naked._

After putting Natsu back in the bed (Lucy did her best to not look past the upper half of his body, the two of them snuck out of the infirmary and into the hallway.

"They're currently in the boundaries between life and death. They're still technically alive though. You're the only one that can save them."

Lucy peeked around a corner and gasped. The first master was on the ground and a tall man was standing over her.

"Make your choice."

 _It's now or never!_

Lucy jumped over the railing and kicked the man square in the back of the head. Thanks to her strength, he went flying.

"Are you okay first master Mavis?" Lucy asked when she landed.

"I'm fine," Mavis replied. "And I'm glad you two are okay as well. He's got everybody else somewhere, we need to take him down."

Lucy nodded and then changed into her Leo star dress form.

"Alright I'm ready," She announced.

"Me too!" Happy said.

"This is impossible," The tall man said. They could now see that he had what looked like a skull on his forehead. "My magic should have covered the whole guild!"

"We had a celestial spirit's protection buddy," Lucy replied smugly.

"Aha, so a celestial wizard huh? It's a shame, if you two had disappeared like you should have you would not have to go through something as scary as this." He started walking towards them.

"Hey spirit, I'm changing my terms. I will now tear this girl to bits." He reached in his jacket and threw a knife right at Lucy.

"Get ready to lose your head girl!" It was coming so fast, even if she ducked, she would still get hit. That's when, Lucy was looking at the back of one pink haired person.

"Even if it's just her head, it's still Lucy." Lucy felt her face light up when she heard that voice.

"And that's a terrible thing to do to her, so maybe I should turn you into ashes first."

"Natsu!"

"Natsu."

"I made it this time."

Lucy smiled, "So I guess you slept well."

He turned and grinned at her, "Oh hell yeah, I'm all fired up now! Let's freaking do this!" He ran straight towards the man. He landed a fiery kick, their foe gave it right back at him in the form of a punch. Natsu bounced off one of the pillars, shot back at the guy, and punched him in the gut. Then the man got a hold of him from the back and shoved him into the ground.

Then he disappeared right in front of their eyes.

"Where'd he go?" Natsu asked.

"Can't you smell him or hear the sound of his footsteps?"

"No use," Natsu stated. "I can't feel his presence at all!"

"Try harder!" He reappeared and punched Natsu in the face.

"It's stealth," The first explained. "Complete transparency camouflage. We need-Ah!" The enemy reappeared with his foot on Mavis's head.

He laughed, "That's not all, I can also see what can not be seen. Like you ghost girl, for example."

"Leave her alone," Happy shouted. The man disappeared again.

"Oh that's it," Lucy said as she pulled out her Leo key. "Open, gate of the lion! Loke!" The orange haired celestial spirit jumped right into action.

"I'm on it Lucy. Shining lion!" He illuminated the entire area and blinded the enemy.

"You're it," Loke shouted before shooting towards the guy, who pushed Loke back into the wall.

"Loke!"

"I'm okay," The celestial wizard said. "What was that right now?"

The enemy smiled and lifted his hands. Lucy felt something sharp cutting her upper arms, but nothing was there.

"Don't tell me…"

"It has to be…."

"Erase...vanish...see...and make unseen," The man said. "This is the power of my magic." Lucy started being struck by something.

"Ah," She cried.

"Lucy!"

"Enjoy my whip."

"You bastard!" Natsu shouted as he ran towards the guy. The pain stopped and Lucy saw that the man was on top of Natsu. He had the fire dragon slayer's head shoved into the ground.

"Stay down, if you know what's good for you," The man sneered.

"Natsu-" Lucy paused when she felt a searing pain in head and knelt on the ground.

"Lucy!"

 _Oh no._ She thought. _Not now. Please not now._


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever. That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it! It's nice to see that there's an interest in this story. It really does make me happy, because I enjoy working on this.**

 _"Let me help you Lucy."_

 _Why?_

Lucy heard a voice in her head.

 _"Let me help you."_

Lucy felt herself standing up and she pulled out her whip.

"Regulus snatch," She shouted. Light encompassed her hand and the whip. Then she waved and it caught the enemy. With the whip, she knocked him to the ground, light completely surrounded him and that caused him to let go of Natsu.

"Dammit," He yelled. The light surrounding him had blinded him and Lucy threw him threw the wall of the guild hall. That's when the pain Lucy was feeling in her head vanished and she realized that she had not felt completely in control of herself until that very moment.

 _What just happened?_ She thought.

"When did you learn that?" Loke asked as he ran over to her.

"When did I learn what?"

"Lucy you literally just did it," Happy said. "Are you okay?"

 _"Let me help you."_

The first master was looking at her with a shocked expression on her face.

"How can you do that at your age?" She asked. Lucy felt like demanding that someone explain what's going on,but her attention was soon directed back to the enemy as he was approaching them again.

"Come on Lucy," Natsu said.

"Right."

"Regulus Lucy kick!"

"Fire Dragon claw!" Their combined attack managed to push him back and certainly aggravate him.

"You dirty brats," He sneered. "You'll get it now!" He did a roundhouse kick on Natsu, who barely blocked it. Lucy ran in and he spun around and kicked her in the gut as well.

"Looks like that little moment there was just a fluke," He stated. Natsu tried to go at him again and he punched him.

"He excels in hand to hand combat too," Lucy exclaimed. These Alvarez people were no joke.

"Alright, your 113 guildmates that I captured, starting now I'm going to start killing them one by one." He held what looked like a floating lacrima in his hand.

 _That has to be part of his magic._ Lucy thought.

"I dare you," Natsu replied.

"Wait," Lucy yelled and the enemy turned his attention to her.

"What is it?"

"Your allies are in there," She stated. "Brandish and Marin!" That threw him off.

"Brandish and…..what? Oh hell! Either I let them out or never hear the end of it from Dimaria." He closed his hand over the ball and his two allies appeared. They looked shocked to see him.

That's when Lucy had an idea. She stood slowly and while they were distracted she pulled out her Gemini key.

"Gemini," She whispered. The twin celestial spirits appeared and nodded at Lucy-knowing exactly what her plan was. They took the form of Marin Hollow, while Lucy changed into her Gemini star dress form. Which was a two toned dress with a high collar, tassels, and a plated belt. She had on two toned thigh high boots and a traditional Russian headdress.

"There's another me?"

"You pass," Gemini exclaimed.

"Whoa this is too creepy," Marin commented. "Definitely a failing grade."

"Lucy, why didn't you just change into Brandish?" Happy asked. "She's stronger."

"While that may be true Happy, that wasn't my objective," Lucy replied. "Do it now Gemini!"

"Space commandment activate pikkiiri!"

Then everything regarded as special magic disappeared, including Lucy's star dress. Thankfully, her normal clothes appeared within a second and….

"Oh no! My transport is-"

"This will render all spatial magic ineffective," Lucy stated, with a grin on her face because before they knew it all of their guildmates were back.

Everybody was relieved and cheering for the most part. Master Makarov looked understandably pissed though.

"Marvelous Lucy," Mavis exclaimed. "You did it!"

"Wow," Natsu said. "I'm impressed."

"Thank you Natsu," Lucy said.

"Dammit! How dare you inflict pain on the first master!" Makarov was approaching them with an angry look on his face and everyone who knew him instinctively moved out of the way. Suddenly, the 8th master of Fairy Tail grew to a giant and punched the enemy.

"Show some respect for the aged punk!"

"Master stop wrecking the guild! We just built it," Natsu shouted. Master then picked up Natsu.

"Now isn't this a case of the pot calling the kettle black?" He threw Natsu right the direction of the enemy. Natsu smiled, this was perfect.

"Blaze Dragon King Demolition Fist!" Lucy watched as a fireball knocked the enemy out cold….and burned off his clothing.

After everything calmed down, Lucy went over to Natsu at a table in the guild hall. Most people were banding together to rebuild the hole in the guild hall.

"Oh hey Lucy, what's up?"

"Lucy kick!" He fell off the chair.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"That was for going to fight Zeref alone and making us worry!"

"I'm sorry!" Lucy sighed and extended her hand to the fire dragon slayer.

"You're not going to kick me are you?" He asked cautiously.

"No Natsu I'm not….I promise." He took her hand and she helped him up. Lucy couldn't help but bring focus to that his hand was warm. He was alive and standing in front of her. A complete 180 from how it was only an hour ago.

Natsu didn't take his hand out of hers as soon as he stood up. Instead he just looked in her big brown eyes. He never got tired of looking at her face and all the different expressions that she could make.

 _Should he tell her now? They were together and relatively alone._

 _Although, what if she doesn't feel the same way. He himself really didn't have a lot time to think about how he felt about her. He just knew for sure that when he was around her, he felt happy and always wanted to see her smile._

 _When in the hell did he even start having feeling these….feelings for Lucy?_

 _Of course, this comes in his head right when-_

"What are you two doing?" A grinning exceed surprised the both of them and they broke apart.

"Nothing you stupid cat, I was helping him up. I gave him a pretty stern Lucy kick for all the trouble he caused," Lucy replied.

"She really did," Natsu agreed.

"Sure…."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Lucy asked.

"Why can't you two ever flirt at normal times?"

"We weren't flirting!"

"Sure…."

"Okay, you know what? I'm going to the dungeon," Lucy announced.

"Why are you going there?" Natsu asked.

"Because I wanted to speak with Brandish," Lucy answered. "You know, I think you should come too. She did save you after all."

Natsu nodded, "You're right! Coming Happy?"

"Aye sir!"

The three of them made their way down to the cell where Brandish was being held.

"Hey Brandish," Lucy said as she approached her cell and put her hands on the bar. The green-haired wizard was sitting on the floor in the corner. Brandish didn't respond and Lucy frowned. Their mothers wanted them to be friends and Lucy really wanted to try to build a friendship. She thought that they were getting somewhere when she helped Natsu, but then she came back with the whole "I'm your enemy" thing.

"I heard you saved my ass back there," Natsu said. "Thanks a lot!"

"We really appreciate everything that you've done for us," Happy agreed.

Brandish looked at them with an expressionless face and then turned to the wall.

"I never thought that Jacob would be taken out."

 _Jacob? Oh, that must have been the guy we fought?_ Lucy thought.

That was also when she had that weird moment of being out of control, but she filed that information away for later.

"Now I've come to understand the weight of the emperor's words. This will be as far as you go," Brandish stated. "The eighth month approaches."

"Eighth month?" The three of them asked in unison and they got no response.

"Brandish please?" Lucy pressed.

Brandish sighed, "In Arakitashia, the month of August is known as the time of gathering calamities. In order to overcome this month, the citizens pray and live with modesty and integrity. August is a month of fear and this legend has been passed down for generations."

"But I don't get it," Happy said. "It's already September."

"August is a person, that is all I'm going to say," Brandish answered.

"But-"

"No," Lucy interjected. "Natsu when she says that she means it. We have to give her at least that much respect." Natsu frowned, but nodded.

"Goodbye Brandish," Lucy said. "I'll try to come again."

"...You don't need too."

"I will," Lucy assured her. She wasn't going to give up on building this friendship, even if this was a turbulent time.

"Oh what the hell," Natsu exclaimed as he went over, grabbed the keys and opened her cell door.

"Natsu, what are you doing?" Lucy asked.

"I'm letting her out," He replied. Brandish made no move, she didn't even turn around.

"Look Brandish, we know that you're not a bad person," Natsu stated. "You helped me out and if Lucy's likes you then you can't be bad. I'll leave the keys on the ground and you're free to unlock the cuffs." Natsu then turned around and walked away. The other two followed him.

"How do you know she won't escape and leave?" Happy asked.

"She won't," Lucy answered. "...Thank you Natsu."

"No problem!" They left the dungeon and went over to tell everyone about what Brandish told them.

"And I've decided that I'm going to bring a world of pain on this guy coming from the east," Natsu declared.

"Wait, you're going alone?" Warren asked.

"No, I'm going too," Lucy answered.

"Don't forget me," Happy said.

"I can't agree to this," Makarov stated.

"I can't just sit around! You expect me to wait here for the enemy to waltz in and go to town on us," Natsu argued.

"We're talking about the most powerful spriggan 12 member," Makarov shouted. The two of them matched each others anger.

"That's inaccurate. You should be saying that he is the strongest individual. That is much more accurate." Everyone turned their attention to the person who entered the room.

"How the hell did she get out?" Macao shouted.

"I let her out," Natsu stated flatly. "She's not a bad person, so I figured what's the harm."

"What do you mean by strongest individual?" Happy asked.

"There's another person who holds the title. If he is the strongest man, then she is the strongest woman."

"Who's the strongest woman?"

"Eileen Belserion, the one who carries the moniker: the scarlet despair," Brandish replied.

"What!"

"The Scarlet Despair doesn't sound too good." Warren said.

"Who knows? Maybe she's a nice person," Nab commented hopefully.

"Seriously? With the moniker _the scarlet despair_?" Max asked.

"So, I see that you've finally come around and are willing to share information with us," Makarov said.

"It's a one-time deal," Brandish stated. "I'm a citizen of Alvarez first and foremost. I refuse to betray my homeland, which is why I won't become your ally. That being said, this is a debt to Lucy."

Lucy's eyes widened, "What?"

"Lucy, what exactly did you do?" Happy whispered.

"Which is why I'm willing to negotiate with August for you," Brandish declared. "Excluding Eileen, there is no mage in existence who can stand up to August. Eileen and I have no personal relationship. Although, I've known August since I was a little girl. I may be able to persuade him to pull back."

"That's a great offer, thank you," Makarov said.

"But Master, maybe she should consider the possibility of this being a fabrication," Mest suggested. "She could use this opportunity to escape."

"Believe me or not, it makes no difference," Brandish replied.

"I believe you," Lucy said.

"Then it's settled," Natsu stated. "I'm going to fight-"

"Seriously Natsu, do you _want_ another Lucy kick?"

"I was _injured_ Lucy!"

"Ok so it's Lucy, Natsu, Brandish and Happy," Makarov said. "Remember no violence Natsu. Brandish negotiating with August is our best case right now. I don't any of you to get hurt."

Natsu frowned, "Fine…"


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever. That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it! It's nice to see that there's an interest in this story. It really does make me happy, because I enjoy working on this.**

Leaving the guild hall, the four of them ended up walking through a clearing on the outskirts of Magnolia.

"August eh? Oh man, I wonder what kind of magic he does?" Natsu asked as he ran a little ahead of them.

"Natsu, remember we aren't going there to fight," Lucy reminded him. "We are going there to negotiate with him, so don't pick a fight. I'm asking nicely here."

"I know! I know! I'm just curious."

"That's a bad sign," Happy commented as he flew with them.

"If you do start a fight, you will be obliterated that very moment," Brandish stated. "So consider yourself once again warned." This was not the first time that she had said something like this to him.

"August is a gentle person by nature," Brandish continued. "So out of the 12 he is by far the easiest to talk too."

"So then how do you plan on reasoning with him?" Lucy asked.

"My plan is….oh, that's a good question."

Lucy's mouth dropped, "You don't have a plan?"

Brandish shrugged, "I was gonna wing it when I got there." Natsu paused suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked. Natsu looked at her and then turned around.

"Come on Mest, give it up! I know that you've been following us since we left the guild hall."

"What!"

"You didn't sense him?" Brandish asked Lucy.

"No!"

"Wow Lucy, even I knew he was there."

"Not now Happy!" The wizard revealed himself and came out from behind a tree. He glared at Brandish.

"I can't believe you three actually trust that woman," He sneered.

"I told you Mest, she's not all that bad," Natsu argued. "She can't be if Lucy likes her."

"And you trust Lucy's judgement 100% all of the time?"

"Absolutely."

Mest sighed, "Even so, just releasing her like that? She's supposed to be our prisoner of war!"

"But she's not a bad person, so I don't see any reason why she needs to be our prisoner."

" _More importantly_ ," Lucy interjected since she knew that this argument could last longer than they had time for it to. "Are we going to walk all the way there?"

"Whoa, just so we're clear I ain't riding any freakin carriages," Natsu stated.

"I can only carry one person at a time," Happy said.

"Hm."

"What is it Brandish?"

"I just had a great idea." At that moment, they all watched Happy grow bigger…...and bigger….and bigger.

"He's ginormous," Lucy yelled.

"Yay, a colossal Happy," Natsu shouted as he jumped up and down with a smile on his face.

"I'm the coolest cat in the world," Happy stated, though it was weird since his voice was a bit deeper. He plopped all four them on his shoulders.

"He's so fluffy," Brandish cheered next to Lucy.

 _Wow, she's so girly all of a sudden._ Lucy thought.

"Hold on tight everyone," Happy said and he started….skipping.

The very bumpy ride ended when Brandish commanded Happy to stop. Lucy peered down and saw an older man (August, she assumed) staring up at them.

"Put us down," Brandish said. One by one Happy took them all off of his shoulders and set them on the ground. For a moment, no one said anything. The only sound that was heard was the wind rustling the few trees around them. Lucy watched as August examined all four of them. She noticed his eyes linger a little longer on Natsu before looking at Brandish.

"What do you think you're playing at?" He asked. His voice had an edge to it, not the best sign in the world.

"I've come to negotiate with you," Brandish answered, her voice was steady.

"Has Jacob been killed?" He asked.

"He was defeated by these two," She replied as she gestured towards Natsu and Lucy. "He's not dead, he's been taken prisoner. What about God Serena? He should be here with you."

"He is here with me," August stated. Lucy leaned over to Natsu.

"Brandish's power is absurdly high, but August's is-"

"On a whole different level," Natsu finished.

"Now then, would please clarify what you mean by negotiate Brandish?" August asked.

"I would like you to halt your advance." August's face remained expressionless as he processed Brandish's words.

"It doesn't look like you've been tortured," He said. "Can I interpret this as a betrayal?"

Brandish shook her head, "Not at all. I am a loyal citizen of Alvarez and always will be. I just…...I just cannot find meaning in this war."

August frowned, "You know those words are a direct betrayal of his majesty's words. Need I remind you, that we spriggan 12 have dedicated our mind, body, and soul to his majesty. If, in spite of that, you cannot find a reason to fight for his cause then you are nothing but an enemy that must be eliminated." Lucy felt a chill go down her spine, but she saw Brandish take a breath before speaking again.

"August please list to me," Brandish said as she walked a few steps closer to the man. "What his majesty is attempting to achieve is absolute genocide. This will amount to a one-side massacre. It's not a clash of different ideals, it's murder. Can't you see that? I know that among the 12, none are wiser than you. You must realize that at the end of this fight there will be no future for either country."

"Where we are going at the end of this war is decided by his maj-"

"Think for yourself," Brandish interjected. "That's what I've chosen to do. These people are not evil, far from it actually." August didn't answer her, instead his gaze returned to Natsu and Lucy realized that Natsu was shielding her with his arm. She had been so busy listening to Brandish's words, that she hadn't noticed him moving. Nor had she noticed his glare, that had to stop.

"Natsu, please stop burning a hole through his body," Lucy whispered. The fire dragon slayer's expression eased up a little at her words.

"I beg of you August, at least try to talk to them," Brandish said.

August sighed, "Well I suppose I should at least listen to them, rather than make a fool out of you Brandish." Brandish grinned when she heard his words and jumped up in the air.

"Oh my gosh, thank you so much grandpa," She exclaimed.

"I have no recollection of being your grandfather."

"But you've always been my grandpa to me!"

"What an interesting family," Lucy commented, it was sweet in a way. Brandish suddenly stopped jumping up and down.

"Grand….pa."

"Hm?"

It all happened so fast, much too fast for anyone to intervene and stop her.

Brandish took out her sword and _stabbed_ August.

"The one I must kill stands before me now," She said.

"Brandish why did you just do that?" Lucy shouted. When he saw the look on Brandish's face, Natsu turned around and saw the same one on Mest's. He punched Mest in the face and grabbed his collar.

"Mest what the hell have you done?"

"I altered her memories and implemented the sentiment: "I must kill August, no matter what the cost," Mest replied.

"You son of a-"

"I protected the guild!" Lucy turned her attention back to Brandish, who was still standing there with the sword in shock. Lucy walked a few steps toward her, intending to pull her back. She stopped when she saw August rise from the ground. His skin had darkened and his hair stuck up into the air.

"You see Brandish," He sneered. "This is their way of resolving things!" He had turned around. Lucy saw a symbol on his forehead and a murderous look in his eyes.

"G-grand...pa." The green haired wizard suddenly fell to her knees and Lucy ran to her.

"Dissolve into oblivion," August commanded.

"Brandish!" She was stopped by Natsu, who wrapped his arms around her and pushed them out of the way. They fell to the guard, but Natsu's hand was on the back on her head so she didn't hit it. There was a blinding light. Lucy instinctively wrapped her arms around Natsu and closed her eyes.

It only lasted a few seconds.

"Lucy! Wake up! Lucy!"

Hearing her name, Lucy opened her eyes and saw Natsu staring down at her. His face seemed like it was a just few centimeters away. She was little surprised at him being that close, but he sat up so she was able to easily push that feeling to the side. She laid her arms at her sides and felt her left one hit something soft.

"Ooomf!" She turned and saw Happy next to her.

"She lifted her arm quickly.

"Sorry," She said.

"What the hell just happen?" Natsu asked as he looked around. Clearly not fazed by the fact that he was still sitting on top of her. "Better yet, where the hell are we?"

"Last thing I remember, we were all struck by August's magic," Happy said as he stood up.

"Oh right that big explosion," Natsu said. "Good thing I negated it…..to some extent."

"You negated it?" Lucy asked.

"It was heat-type magic," Natsu replied.

"Uh Natsu…."

"Yeah?"

"Do you mind….letting me stand up?" Natsu stared at her, looked down and then jumped to his feet. Happy snickered as he watched the scene unfold in front of him.

"Sorry," He said as he extended his hand to her. She took it and stood up. Lucy looked around, they were definitely in a completely different location than they were before.

"We must have been transported or something."

"I can't get a whiff of Mest or Brandish's magic. I can't even smell August either," Natsu stated.

"Weird," Happy said.

"Should we try to get a lay of the land?" Natsu asked.

Lucy nodded, "We can't stay in one place. Just stay on your guard."

"Right!" The three of them chose to go north and made their way through the new forest terrain. Lucy examined her surroundings, everything she saw looked just like something she would see at home. All of the trees and wildlife. Nothing looked peculiar.

"Look at this," Happy called. He was just beyond a patch of tall grass in front of them. Lucy and Natsu passed through and pushed a few low branches out of the way.

"Whoa."

"It's Kardia Cathedral and….Mercurius?"

Natsu looked at Lucy, "Were they always this close?" Lucy shook her head.

"Should we get a closer look?" Happy asked them.

"Definitely," Natsu and Lucy answered. They made it down a short rocky hill and walked towards the buildings. Lucy looked up, this was Kardia Cathedral alright.

"I'll fly up and get a better look at everything," Happy said.

"Good idea," Lucy said. They watched as their friend flew up into the air.

"Whoa….."

"What!"

"The guild's not here and neither is the town or all of the other buildings," He informed them.

"Okay, this is unbelievable," Lucy said.

"Wait."

"What?"

"I smell someone." He started walking off in a random direction.

"Hey Natsu, don't run off like that," Lucy said. "Wait for me!" Happy flew back down and they walked around the side of Kardia Cathedral to see….

"Gray! Juvia!"

"Natsu! Lucy! Happy!"

They were reunited with three familiar faces.

Lucy's eyes widened, "Erza…"

"Yeah she's really beat up right now," Gray said. He had her on his back.

"We were on our way back to the guild and this happened," Juvia told them. "We ended up getting seperated from Wendy and Carla."

"You can't find Wendy and Carla," Happy cried.

"Don't worry," Lucy said. "I'm sure they're fine just like we are."

"For now anyway," Gray added.

"Oh man this sucks," Natsu stated. "How are we going to find the guild?"

"And who knows how long it's going to take to get wherever it is." Lucy felt a shiver go down her spine (she called this her danger chill), and looked up. She screamed before she could stop herself and everyone else looked up too.

A giant eye was staring down at them.

"WHAT!"

"It's friggin huge," Gray shouted.

"Okay, I'm done….where the hell is the guild?" Lucy asked.

 _"The guild is this way."_

Lucy looked around, she heard an unfamiliar voice in her head but there was no one around but them. This also didn't like it was her...um….problem either.

 _"Make for the guild! Everyone must gather at once. You've all been seperated due to the enemy's magic but now is the time to act as one!" They all turned and gazed in one direction._

"Oh so the guild is over there," Natsu concluded.

"Wait before we do anything, how do we know that this voice is trustworthy?" Juvia raised a good point. Lucy was somewhat surprised that she hadn't declared the voice another love rival, but she was also being surprised a lot these days.

 _"Mavis is in trouble."_

That got their attention.

 _"She is a mother-like figure to all of you. Head towards the guild and make haste! Return to Mavis's side and protect her."_

"We have to go," Lucy decided. "We can't risk Mavis actually being in trouble."

"She's right," Happy said.

"Oh what the hell, I'm in," Gray said.

"Me too," Juvia said.

"Then let's go," Natsu said.

"Natsu wait! Don't get seperated from the group!"

"You know I have Erza on my back flamebrain!"


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever. That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it! It's nice to see that there's an interest in this story. It really does make me happy, because I enjoy working on this.**

As they moved in the direction that the voice said towards the guild, it soon became obvious that they were still connected with whoever had spoken to them. This time, the voice that they heard was someone familiar.

"You don't do this much do you? You are far too heavy-handed. Next time, you might want to inject a bit of charm and delicacy along with your message. Honestly, I'm really starting to wonder if you're really friends with the first."

Was that…..Gajeel?

"Why is Gajeel in my head?" Natsu asked.

"Who cares," Gray said. "This means what that voice said is true." They hustled across the terrain, heading north. Expectedly, after a few hours they began to get slower and slower.

"Maybe we should take a small break," Lucy suggested.

"No way! The first master is in danger," Natsu argued.

"But we are in no way useful to her if we're tired," Lucy said.

"S-she's right." They turned to Gray and saw that their scarlett hair friend had woken up.

"Erza!"

"Lucy's right, we need all the energy we can muster," Erza stated. "Gray, let me down."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Gray kneeled to the ground to let Erza stand up on her own two feet.

"Requip!" She changed into her usual armor.

"I've had time to rest so I'll keep watch," She informed them. Eventually, they moved on top of this little hill under a tree. They could see the guild clearly in the distance. Everyone laid down to take a nap-including Natsu (who was the first to fall asleep).

 _As soon as Lucy closed her eyes, she found herself standing on the steps of her childhood home. It was quiet, no one else was around. She looked down the stairs and saw a light coming from her parent's bedroom._

 _Hadn't she had a dream like this before?_

 _She walked down the stairs and towards her parent's bedroom. She knocked on the door, no answer. Lucy placed her hand on the door knob and turned it. When the door opened, she saw her mother sitting at her desk. She hadn't turned around, despite the fact that Lucy had opened the door._

 _"Mom?"_

 _No response._

 _She took a few steps towards her mother, who was sitting at her desk like Lucy wasn't there. Lucy looked over her shoulder and saw that she was reading a letter intently. The celestial wizard took a few more steps so she could see what it said._

 _ **If you are reading this, then you have been bestowed the power to bring one of this clan's greatest secrets to completion. It will be up to you to connect your world to another and take another step to peace. Bring together all twelve of the zodiac keys. Open the Eclipse gate when the sun and moon interact.**_

 _ **-A.**_

 _Lucy watched as her mother reread the letter a few more times._

" _Bring one of this clan's greatest secrets to completion," Lucy whispered. "Greatest secrets?" Her mother lifted her head, as soon as she did that the words on the parchment disappeared. She looked over at her bed and Lucy saw her ten-year-old self sleeping in there. Her arm was wrapped around her "little sister" Michelle._

 _There were times when she liked to sleep with her mother when her father left for one of his business trips. She used to sleep with her parents all of the time when she was little, but there was a point where her father was intent on her behaving like a big girl. Her mother still let her sleep in their room when her father wasn't home._

 _Lucy observed her mother looking at her and then sighing. She turned back to the letter and the words reappeared. Layla Heartfilia then took another deep breath and uttered the words:_

" _I accept."_

Lucy opened her eyes and found herself back on the hill with her guildmates.

"Last dawn? Not if I have anything to say about it." Lucy smiled when she heard that voice.

"We're going to bust in there and take our guild back."

Lucy sat up, "He's right."

"Aye!"

Natsu turned around and smiled at them.

"We're going to see a new tomorrow no matter what." Everyone stood up and came together at the edge of the hill. From there they could see, all of the Alvarez soldiers that had accumulated overnight.

"We just gotta do this," Gray said.

"I'm ready," Juvia stated.

"Me too," Happy added.

"Rushing headlong into the enemy without a plan may be foolhardy, but until the rest of them get here we have to do our best to push back the front lines," Erza stated.

"The first is surely waiting for us," Lucy said. "And Zeref is probably with her."

"Hey Natsu! Let's race to see who takes down Zeref first," Gray declared.

"Hell yeah, I'm all fired up!" Lucy happened to look over at Happy, who had a strange look on his face.

"Hey Happy are you okay?" She asked.

The exceed nodded vigorously, "I am! I'm ready! There has to be a way!"

"What do-"

"Let's do this," Natsu shouted. "Let's take back our guild!"

"Right!" Everyone banded together and ran towards the enemy-who were ready for them. Fire engulfed Natsu's fist as he yelled….

"Fire Dragon Kings Demolition Fist!"

Lucy grabbed a key from belt.

"Open Gate of the Golden Bull, Taurus!" The celestial spirit appeared before her with his axe ready.

"Star dress Taurus form!" Lucy changed into her star dress.

"Alright Taurus let's go!"

"Roger that Miss Lucy!" They jumped into action.

"Lucy kick!"

"Tension max!" They were backed up by Juvia's water slicer, Gray's freeze lancer, and Erza's heaven's wheel.

"Sky dragon roar!" A gust of wind came through above and took out the enemy as well.

"It's Wendy and Carla," Happy shouted.

"Sorry we're late," Wendy called. They weren't the only ones who soon joined them. Elfman, Yukino, Angel, and the rest of the Fairy Tail guild got there right when they needed them. Just when it looked like they were succeeding, tall fiery dragons appeared and a man who was once the strongest wizard in Isghar made his appearance.

"You shan't take one step further! For a God has Ascended. I am God Serena," He announced.

 _So this is God Serena._ Lucy thought.

"Stay back Fairy Tail! Purgatory Dragon's Blazing Hell!" Flames shot at them, only to be intercepted by a hungry Natsu.

"Well, did not expect that," God Serena commented. "How about this: Seaking Dragon's Water Formation Envelopment!"

The attack surrounded Lucy, "Water and flames at the same time?"

"And that's not all," God Serena bragged. "Storm Dragon's Song of the Wind and Moon!" They all braced themselves for the blast that ended up not coming. Lucy looked down, the ground was impacted for sure. Yet, she felt okay and everyone looked fine for the most part.

"Have we been saved?" She heard someone ask.

 _But who could have done that?_

All of a sudden, something fell from the sky and landed on the ground. A gush of smoke enveloped the area for a moment, but when it cleared they saw the person who had stopped God Serena's attack.

"Yo."

Guildarts.

"Why the hell did it take you this long Dad?"

"Cana honey, calm down Daddy is trying to work."

"Don't tell me to shut up Dad!"

"Aw it's nice to see you too! I love you so much!"

"Cana this is not the time to yell at your father," Makarov interjected. "And Guildarts this is not the time to be mushy!"

Guildarts sighed, "Right. Right. Now, the thing is I can't sense an ounce of magic power coming from that punk. I _can_ tell that he was a formidable wizard. If he were alive, he'd a force to be reckoned with. As he is now, he is just a small fry."

"Oh no you did not just say that," God Serena exclaimed. "But blathering like a mindless idiot is common when faced with the might of God Serena of the eight dragons." They went head to head...literally and the impact threaten to send the surrounding people flying back. Thankfully, Lucy was pulled back to the ground by her celestial spirit.

"I gotcha Miss Lucy!"

"Whew, thanks Taurus."

More allies made an appearance as Lisanna, Mirajane, Rogue, Kinana and Minerva joined the fight.

Suddenly, God Serena went flying.

"Wasn't he supposed to be the strongest wizard in Isghar?" Happy asked Lucy.

"Yep…"

"That's kind of disappointing."

"Come on people let's pick up the pace," Guildarts commanded. "Let's go take back the guild!"

"Yeah!"

Together they fought their way through.

"Max punch!" Lucy punched the ground and sent a crack that saw many enemy soldiers falling through. She was nowhere near Guildart's level of groundbreaking, but she could do _some_ damage in her Taurus form. She paused when she felt a freezing wind carry through the battlefield. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Oh my gosh I'm freezing!"

"Serves you right for not wearing anything…"

"Seriously Juvia!"

"Burn," Natsu shouted and all of his flames froze. "No way…"

Lucy felt her body beginning to stiffen, "N-No."

Her vision proceeded to go black.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever. That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it! It's nice to see that there's an interest in this story. It really does make me happy, because I enjoy working on this.**

Just as quickly as it went black, her vision returned and so did her hearing as she heard Natsu shout: "Atta boy Gray!" Quickly adjusting to her surroundings, Lucy looked up and saw a man with long blue hair standing in front of them. He was wearing a blue and black suit. Glasses added completely his icy and controlled look.

"I can't believe you actually melted my ice," The man said with a smirk. "Truly impressive." Lucy glanced over at Natsu. Of course! That's why they were able to move. Thank goodness for the fire dragon slayer. This was it, if they all ganged up-

"Stop right there Invel!"

Lucy was too slow to register what was going on, because next thing she knew she was being picked up by a large hand.

 _Don't tell me….._

"Brandish what are you doing?" She exclaimed. She glanced down and saw Gray and Juvia still on the ground. She turned and saw that it the wizard's other hand was Natsu and Happy.

"Yo! What are you doing?" Gray asked.

"Put them down," Juvia demanded.

"Yes Brandish, what exactly are you doing?" Invel asked.

"None of your concern," Brandish answered. "Fight them, these three are coming with me." They towered over everyone as Lucy saw battle rage on. She knew there was no way that she could get out of Brandish's grasp without seriously injuring herself.

The Spriggan 12 member finally stopped at what looked like ruins of a castle. She dropped the three of them on the surface. Brandish then shrunk to their size.

"Hey what do you think you're doing?" Natsu asked angrily.

"Brandish, please I don't want to fight you," Lucy stated.

"Nor do I want to fight you," Brandish answered with a sad look on her face. "Which is why I brought the three of you here."

"What?" Lucy asked.

"I have chosen to turn a blind eye to you three," Brandish explained. "This is because I am in your debt. I am a loyal citizen of Alvarez, I have made that very clear and because of that I will return to the battlefield to destroy your allies. Due to the kindness that the three of you showed me, I will spare you." It was silent for a moment and the Fairy Tail members took in what she was saying.

"Do...Do you even realize what that sounds like to us?" Natsu asked. Brandish sighed and her face became expressionless.

"No matter what way you look at it, we will be the victors. That has long been set in stone," Brandish said. "Just the sheer number of our forces, their individual skills, and on top of that the emperor is in the middle of obtaining Fairy Heart. Face it, whatever sliver of hope that you had has been reduced to zero."

"Those are just words," Natsu retorted. "We ain't gonna know until we try."

"You may not know, but I do," Brandish said. "Let me make this clear, all of your friends will

die today. I know the odds, which is once again why I am sparing you." Natsu chuckled, which through Lucy off for a second.

"If you want to play that game then fine," He sneered. "You don't know how terrifying Fairy Tail can be."

"Where is Lady Erza?" Lucy looked behind Brandish and saw a man with long purple hair and wearing green armor coming towards them.

Brandish turned around, "Neinhart! Wait, those eyes, you've been-"

"Indeed," Neinhart interjected. "You are bearing witness to Lady Eileen's formidable enchantment techniques. This unrivaled power exceeds even the limits of my own magic! Stand aside Brandish, these wizards are allies of Lady Erza."

"Lady Erza?" Happy asked. "What did Erza do to you?"

"Obviously she beat whoever this Lady Eileen person is."

"Natsu, this is not a good time to provoke the enemy," Lucy stated.

"Neinhart, I am in the middle of negotiations with them," Brandish stated.

"Negotiations? Can I interpret that as betrayal?" Neinhart asked. "A betrayal to Lady Eileen!" Suddenly a whirlwind developed around them. Lucy grabbed happy to keep him from flying away while Natsu headed straight for the guy.

"You bastard!"

"Natsu wait!"

"Stop! He's not an opponent whose strength you can match!"

"It's either push forward or pull back," Natsu exclaimed. "And I don't know the meaning of the second one." With all his power, Natsu punched Neinhart square in the face and the whirlwind disappeared. Lucy and Happy were relieved. Brandish, on the other hand, looked shocked. Natsu turned around to her.

"If you plan on getting in the way, then I guess I'm going to have to fight you too," He said. "I won't let you hurt any one of my allies, especially not Happy and Lucy."

"Brandish please stop this," Lucy said. "We don't have to do this."

"Ahhh!" Suddenly Natsu screamed and crouched over in pain.

"Natsu," Lucy screamed as she ran over to him.

"What's wrong Natsu?" Happy asked. "Tell us!" While holding onto her friend, Lucy glanced over at Brandish's face.

That's when she knew.

"Brandish….why?" She asked.

"Because the man is a threat to us all, nothing more and nothing less," Brandish replied coldly and that's when Natsu passed out.

"Natsu," Happy screamed. Lucy felt tears rolling down her face.

"How could you?"

"Don't confuse our relationship with the between one mothers. We were raised in two different countries, fight for different objectives, and are now standing in opposition to one another. You three have chosen to be my enemies, I tried." Brandish answered. Lucy stood up slowly and walked over to face Brandish.

"No," She said. "No, I refuse to think that you truly didn't give a damn about what Aquarius showed us that day. I saw you! I saw your face! I hugged you! You don't want to do this. You don't want to hurt Natsu. You don't want to fight us."

"God," Brandish shouted. "Can't you see! I have no idea what to do anymore. I'm tired of searching for answers. I thought I knew who I was. I thought I knew what I wanted to achieve, but spending time with you all has just destroyed me!" Lucy's eyes widened, she saw a frustrated and confused girl standing in front of her. A girl who believed that she needed to avenge her mother's death when she got strong enough, only to realize that she had the wrong idea about everything. A girl who was loyal to her country, but now had people on the other side of the war to protect.

Brandish took off her jacket, "Let's settle this the simple way."

Lucy got in a fighting stance, "Fine, but you have to promise me that you'll heal Natsu if I win."

"You seem to be mistaken Lucy. When I said to settle this, I was not referring to the duel between you and I," Brandish explained. "I'm going to settle things with myself, who, if only for a fleeting moment, had become emotional and sentimental over the thought of killing and parting ways with you. Fact is, you never had a remote chance of winning against me from the offset." While she was talking, Lucy had decided that the only way to get her was to catch her off-guard.

"I asked you to promise me," She screamed as she went to kick Brandish with the might of her Taurus star dress form.

Brandish stopped her, "Why not, but make no mistake you cannot win." She kicked Lucy in the gut and she was thrown backwards. She wasn't going down that easily though. Brandish grew to the size of a giant.

"Open! Gate of the Scorpion, Scorpio!" Her celestial spirit appeared before her and she changed into her star dress.

"Sand Buster: Kai!" Scorpio shot out his sand storm while Lucy jumped around the storm freely while Brandish was seemingly blinded.

"Command T:Reduction!" Lucy was caught in one of Brandish's hands.

"I'll squeeze the life out of you with my bare hands!"

 _He. He._

One thing that Lucy had learned during her year of training was that in a bind she didn't necessarily need to physically pick up a zodiac key to change into a star dress. She just had to visualize the spirit clearly in her mind.

"Cancer form," Lucy shouted and she cut herself out of Brandish's hand. She bounced around and sliced up Brandish the best she could. She proceed to do a disappearing trick that she had learned from training with Capricorn. Now in her Aquarius star dress, she flew over Brandish and shouted….

"Aqua metria," Lucy exclaimed as the ruins were filled with ocean waves.

"Command T: Reduction!"

 _She compressed my magic?_ Lucy thought.

"Command T: Magnification!" Lucy shot through the air and slid back on the ground. She was in pain, but she wasn't giving up. She had to protect Natsu at all cost! This was the least that she could do for the all the times that he had protected her. She had to do something to beat Brandish, but what could she do?

That's when an idea popped into her head. An idea that seemed almost foreign to her mind, but it was an idea that she felt like could work. She was taking a huge risk, but she closed her eyes.

 _I know you guys can hear me, all of you-even you Aquarius._ She thought. _I beg of you, lend me your powers._ That's when she felt cold steel manifesting in her palm. Then she opened her eyes and saw that she was holding a shining longsword.

 _Oh my God._ Lucy thought.

"Celestial Spirit Sword," She whispered as she felt a surge of magic power running through the sword. She looked at Brandish, who was looking back at her. She could've been mistaken, but she may have seen a hint of surprise on the Spriggan 12 members' face.

 _Here goes nothing._ Lucy thought as she ran right for the wizard and jumped. All she needed to do was land one good-

She felt someone kick her right in her side and she flew right into a wall.

"Ow," She shouted. She opened her eyes and the sword had disappeared. She looked over at Brandish, who was joined by a blonde woman.

"Well. Well. Well, Randi," The blonde woman said. "You should be thanking me. This battle was a complete and obvious farce. Yet, with that attack she could have easily taken you down." Lucy stood up slowly, surprised that nothing was broken.

"Dimaria-"

"Ignorance sure is bliss," Dimaria interjected. "From the very start, Randi had no intention of killing your or that man for the matter. Returning the tumor to its original size...ha! Don't make me laugh. If you so desired it, you could enlarge all of his internal organs and cause him to blow up from within. Hell, you could've shrunk this girl and crushed her beneath your feet. So the question is, why didn't you dear Randi?" Lucy glanced at Brandish, whose face remained with expression.

"I have a theory," Dimaria continued. "You realized that I was watching from afar and decided the best course of action would be to throw the battle in order to deceive me. Such a pity Randi, you're simply no good to us anymore."

"What?"

"St-" Before Brandish could finish the word, Dimaria had stabbed her and Lucy watched as the wizard fell to her knees.

"No," Lucy exclaimed and the blonde wizard came right up to her.

"Tell me, are you responsible for corrupting my Randi?" She asked. In a flash, Lucy found herself on the ground with the woman's foot on her head. "You little bitch! I'll make sure that you die a slow and painful death."

* * *

Lucy's eyes fluttered open and her vision adjusted to her surroundings.

 _What? Wait? Where am I?_ She thought. _And how did I get here?_ Lucy was in a dark decrypted room. She faced forward and saw that Natsu was sitting in front of her passed out. She tried to stand up and realized that she was tied up just like him. Somehow she had been changed into her normal, everyday clothing. Lucy examined her legs they were being held in place by magic seals, this was most likely the case for her hands.

 _How were they going to get out of there. Where was Happy and how was Brandish?_

"Oh, I see that you're awake." Lucy's eyes widened and it became clear how the two of them got to where they were. Dimaria appeared in front of her and grabbed her by her neck. She had a murderous look on her face.

"Ready to repent my dear?" She asked.

"What?" Lucy whispered. She dropped Lucy's chair back and took out her sword.

"You killed my loved one, now it's time for me to kill yours," She stated as she held the sword to the uncouncious Natsu's neck.

"No...wait...please!"

"No! Wait! Please," The wizard mocked. "Oh man, you just look so pitiful all tied up like that." She walked around Natsu and poked him with the but of her sword.

"Oh wow, he's not even moving," She said. "Don't tell me this boy is dead already…..and he put up such a good fight!"

"Leave him alone!" She peered at Lucy, walked over to her, and jumped onto her seat. Both of her legs trapped Lucy's.

"Why should I?" She whispered. "Because you _love_ him? Are all of your people this bossy? Maybe I should start by carving up your pretty little noisy mouth." Lucy glared at her and Dimaria leaned closer to her.

"That's the best expression that you can manage?" She asked. "Can't you scream and cry a little for good measure?"

"No," Lucy replied. "I refuse to comply with your twisted fantasies you scum! If you're going to do it, then do it now! Don't you dare think that I'm scared of the likes of you! You make me sick!"

"You rebellious little bitch! You know what? I'm going to take my time leaving scars all over your pretty little face!"

Lucy braced herself for the pain and the last person she thought of was…

 _Natsu_.


	25. Chapter 25 (Version 2)

**Chapter 25**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever. That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it! It's nice to see that there's an interest in this story. It really does make me happy, because I enjoy working on this.**

 **A/N: I rewrote this chapter because I read the original version later and ended up not liking how it was flowing. So enjoy Chapter 25 of Unwritten: Version 2.**

Lucy's eyes fluttered opened as she found herself regaining consciousness. She felt a throbbing pain in her stomach and a pinch on her cheek. She groaned and sat up slowly. She looked down and saw blood on her clothing. Lucy frowned as she gently touched the wound, she had definitely been stabbed. The celestial wizard brought her hand to her right cheek and gently traced the short line. She had been cut there too.

After determining that those were her only wounds, she got to her feet while clutching her stomach. Her restraints had somehow been undone thankfully.

 _What happened to her? What happened to Natsu?_

As if on cue, she heard someone wimpering. She turned around and saw Dimaria hunched over against the wall. Lucy gasped as she gazed as the wizard who had threatened her. Dimaria had wounds all over her body and her clothing had been torn.

"M-Monster."

 _Wait did she say something?_

"M-monster."

"Monster?" Lucy asked. Whatever had attacked Dimaria most likely attacked Lucy as well. It was just that Dimaria hurt way worse than she was. The question is where was Natsu? Lucy didn't see him anywhere.

"C-could move...freely….h-hadn't seen anything like it….E.N.D…"

Lucy's eyes widened, Natsu was in danger. Whoever had attacked them probably kidnapped him. There was no way that...that Natsu himself….could...he was unconscious. Before she could put anymore thought into the situation, she heard someone calling her name. She turned around and saw Happy flying towards her. He went right into her arms and Lucy hugged him back despite grimacing from the pain. He gasped and pulled away.

"Lucy you're hurt," He cried, panic written all over his face as he focused on the wound on her stomach.

"Honestly, it looks worse than it feels," She replied. That was not entirely the truth, but why make the exceed more upset?

"Lucy!" She looked up and saw Porlyusica heading towards them. She was being followed by Evergreen and Brandish. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw the green haired wizard.

 _She's okay, thank goodness._

Porlyusica examined Lucy and pulled out some bandages.

"Alright child, stay still while I bandage you up," She commanded. Lucy did what she was told.

"We need to put this restraints on Mari as soon as possible," Brandish instructed. "She can stop time, which makes fighting her quite troublesome."

"I knew it was a good idea to grab these," Evergreen said as she pulled out some magic restraints and put them on Dimaria.

"What exactly happened here?" She asked when she was done.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Lucy answered. "I remember being captured with Natsu and….wait…" It came back to her in a flash.

"What is it?" Happy asked.

"She cut my cheek and then stabbed me," Lucy recounted. "Everything went black after that but I remember that now. Which means that…..Natsu…..no way." She looked back over at Dimaria. Could the monster she was talking about be…..

"Lucy, do you recall the tumor that formed within Natsu?" Porlyusica had finished treating Lucy's wounds and now faced her.

"Yes."

"Well, at the time I was under the impression that it was an anti-ethernano tumor that had developed due to Natsu overexerting his magic power," Porlyusica explained. "However, it turns out that it was something entirely different. Even I cannot determine just what exactly it is, but in response to this girl returning the tumor to its former size it is likely that it was awaken."

"What do you mean by it?" Lucy asked.

"A sinister, demonic power," Porlyusica replied.

"E.N.D," Happy stated. Lucy looked over at the exceed and they stared at each other for a moment.

"We have to go find him."

Natsu was burning.

It felt like his whole body was about to go up in flames the inside out.

As he took each step, his mind seemed to shut off more and more. He was losing control. He was losing his mind.

 _"Hey Natsu! Mirajane just put the Fairy Tail mark on my hand!"_

 _"Thanks for everything Natsu."_

 _"I'm just glad you're here."_

Lucy…

Thinking about her only intensified the fire. It made whatever was trying to come out of him push harder. He felt the his hands become the claws of a dragon and scales appeared up his arms.

"AHHHHHH!" Natsu roared as fire encompassed his body.

He didn't deserve to love her.

He had failed her.

He had lost her.

Nothing would ever be the same again and it was all because of him.

"Zeref."

Natsu stopped as when he saw a figure standing in his path. It wasn't just any figure.

It was Gray.

"Move," Natsu demanded. The ice make wizard just stood there with the coldest look on his face.

"Is this the real you?" Gray asked. "Were you E.N.D this whole time?"

 _He didn't have time for stupid questions like this._

"Get out the way Gray."

"Answer me Natsu!"

 _"My name is Zeref Dragneel and I am your brother Natsu."_

Zeref.

"Natsu."

Zeref.

"Natsu."

"Zeref," Natsu roared again and it shook the area surrounding them.

"You're so far gone, I don't think that my voice can ever reach you anymore," Gray commented. "Who knew? Who knew that my greatest rival was right next to me this entire time?" The ice make wizard balled up his fists.

"My parents and Ur are all dead because of Zeref's demons," Gray said. "Now even Juvia is too. W-who's next Natsu? Tell me! You're apart of that group. Who are you going to kill? Erza? Happy? Lucy-"

"Shut up!" Fire shot through the ground towards Gray, dodged it. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he began laughing maniacally as black markings appeared over half of his body.

"Well, I guess the line's been drawn," He concluded. "Don't worry Natsu, I'm going to make sure that I stop you dead in your tracks." He shot an attack which Natsu met. As soon as they collided, the area them blew apart as if hit by an explosion.

Nothing mattered anymore.

It didn't matter if this was his childhood friend.

All that mattered was killing the emperor.

All that mattered was killing Zeref.

After tying the laces on her boots, Lucy stood up.

"Alright, I'm going to find Natsu," She said. "Are you ready Happy?"

Her friend nodded, "Aye!"

"Be careful." She looked up and saw Brandish standing there.

"Thanks, you too." She then turned and hustled up the steps with Happy.

Her wounds still hurt, but they weren't as painful as they were before. Porlyusica had given her a magic solution that she had on-hand to reduce the pain. It wasn't much compared to what she could do if they were in the infirmary, but it was enough to get Lucy moving again and she was grateful for it.

She was worried, no doubt about that. A strange demonic power had taken over Natsu. She kept envisioning him hurting himself or someone else out there.

Suddenly, they were hit with a blinding light that was there and gone in one moment.

"What was that?" Happy asked when they came to their senses.

"I have no idea," Lucy answered, but for some reason she had a bad feeling about it. They carried on running.

"Lucy look!" Happy had flown up to get a better look and Lucy followed his gaze.

She gasped, "Oh no." They were still a little further away, but there was no doubt about it. She saw Natsu, he was fighting….

Gray.

It didn't look like their normal fighting either. No, it looked like they were actually trying to kill each other. Without thinking, Lucy took off running.

"Lucy wait-"

"Natsu," She called as she ran towards them. Natsu knocked Gray with a ball of flames through two walls.

"Natsu stop!" Lucy yelled as loud as she could and in that moment Natsu Dragneel stopped. He turned around and saw her. That's when she really saw how much his appearance had changed. He still had his pink hair, clothing, and scarf. Now, his eyes were a dark red and his arms were like the claws of a dragon. His body was patterned with scales. They didn't completely encompass his body, but they were present.

Still, that look on his face. That was Natsu, that was _her_ Natsu.

"Lu-"

"Gray wait!" A beam of ice shot and hit Natsu square in the back of his head. Lucy felt herself being lifted into the air.

"Happy!"

"Lucy, we need to get out of the way!"

"But they're...someone has to stop them."

"I know!" They watched in horror as the area quickly became engulfed with flames and ice again.

 _No! No! No! What do we do?_

That's when the attacks stopped and Lucy's eyes widened.

"Erza?" The scarlet haired Fairy Tail member was now standing in between them. She couldn't hear what was being said due to being too far up, but soon enough their friend pulled them in for a hug. She then let them both go.

"Happy, we can go down now," Lucy prompted and the exceed brought them to the ground. As soon as her feet touched the surface, Lucy ran straight for Natsu and grabbed him as he fell. She looked at his face, he was back to normal. His eyes were no longer red and there were no scales on his body. His hands had even turned back to normal as well. Lucy watched as he looked up at her in wonder.

"Lucy?" At the sound of his voice, she could feel a tear roll down her face.

"It's me," She said with a smile on her face. He lifted his hand and gently touched the bandaged cut on her cheek.

"Really you?" She put her hand over his.

"It's really me," She answered. "You sure do know how to make a girl worry you idiot." She saw a hint of a smile on his face.

"L-"

"Natsu!" Happy jumped right onto his best friend and gave him a huge hug.

"I'm so happy you're okay," He cried. Natsu chuckled before his eyes finally closed.

"Natsu?" She sighed, "Well, I guess it's to be expected." She picked him up and put his arm over her shoulder. Juvia, Wendy, and Carla had joined them as well. Though, Juvia seemed to now be apart of the injured along with Gray and Natsu.

"We should take them back to Porlyusica," Lucy suggested. Everyone agreed and the two exceeds grabbed the other two injured.

Erza gasped, "Everyone get down!" They were thrown backwards by a huge explosion. When the dust and debris cleared, a woman appeared in front of them. She had long red hair and a giant staff of some sort. Lucy spied the Alvarez empire insignia on her outfit.

"It's been far too long Erza," She stated. Lucy looked over at Erza.

"Do you know her?"

"I don't," She answered before addressing the woman. "Who are you?"

She smiled, "I am you and you are me."

Erza frowned, "No idea what you're talking about."

"Guys, get Gray, Natsu, and Juvia to safety," Erza instructed.

"Got it," Lucy said as she stood back up with Natsu. Happy had Gray while Carla picked up Juvia.

"What are you going to do?" Carla asked.

"I plan on confirming the true meaning of this woman's words," Erza replied as she prepared herself.

"And I'll lend you a hand," Wendy said. The group broke apart and the injured were brought to Porlyusica. Brandish got started on shrinking wounds.

"Gray and Juvia are going to be fine," Porlyusica informed them. "Despite severe external injuries. In Juvia's case, we have Wendy to thank."

"The problem lies with Natsu doesn't it?" Carla guessed. Porlyusica looked over at Brandish.

"The mass inside his body has become impossible for me to alter with my magic," Brandish explained. "It is a powerful something that has completely transcended my own magic power."

"It's ability to move even while suspended, the pure, unbridled aggression with its killing intent laid bare," Porlyusica continued. "The likes of this is beyond my abilities as well. There's absolutely nothing I can do." Lucy took in their words.

"That thing is a demon, there's no other way to describe it." Lucy had almost forgotten that she was there as well.

"Don't talk about him like that," Lucy stated. "You're wrong." Dimaria lifted her head.

"Do you even know anything about him?"

"I know more about him than the likes of you ever could," Lucy countered.

Dimaria chuckled, "So naive. People don't know as much about the ones around them as they think. Everyone has hidden sides, even the ones you consider precious friends and comrades. Isn't that right Randi?" Brandish glared at her.

Lucy frowned, "That may be true, but Natsu has no hidden sides. He is violent, reckless, and generally uncooperative. Yet he's as straightforward and honest as they come. That's why I believe he has no hidden sides. He was the impetus of me joining Fairy Tail"

"She's head over heels in love with him Brandish," Evergreen commented.

"What! No I'm not," Lucy argued.

"Wait they're not already together? I assumed from the way they've acted that they were already shacked up," Brandish stated.

"Yeah, we all thought that they would get it on event-"

"Can you two please be quiet?" Lucy asked louder than she meant to.

"Sorry." Lucy sighed and looked down at Natsu. What were the going to do?

 _Clack. Clack. Clack._

Everyone paused when they heard someone walking down the steps. A woman dressed in blue and white robes stood in front of them. She was wearing a high collared cloak and her long blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail.

She looked around, "Oh good, it looks like I'm right on time." Lucy's mouth dropped.

"It's you."


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever. That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it! It's nice to see that there's an interest in this story. It really does make me happy, because I enjoy working on this.**

Lucy's eyes widened as she stared at someone who she had not only seen in her dreams, but in the memories that Aquarius had shown her and Brandish.

"Yes Lucy, it is me."

"But how...you're….what?"

The woman sighed, "Oh goodness, I really thought that appearing to you in those dreams and visions would really help to lessen the impact of my physical appearance. It seems that I was not successful. Hm, must have been some sort of miscalculation, but if I had come earlier it would have thrown off my entire plan."

"Wait! Wait! Wait," Evergreen said. "I'm confused, who are you?"

"Oh I am Anna Heartfilia," The blonde answered.

"So is she like a cousin Lucy?" Evergreen asked.

"No," Lucy replied. "She's my ancestor."

"What!"

"Don't scream," Porlyusica said. "The injured people need their rest."

"Right, sorry." Anna Heartfilia kneeled down and gazed at Natsu.

She sighed, "Oh you poor, poor boy." She pushed Natsu's bangs off of his forehead. Lucy watched this exchange.

"Wait, you know him?" She asked.

"Of course I do," Anna told her. "I was the one who made this for him." She had up the scarf around Natsu's neck.

"But I thought Igneel gave that to him," Happy said.

"Yes he did," Anna agreed. "But I put it together, nice to see that it has held up all these years." She touched Natsu's forehead again and frowned.

"I will tell you, this child has a lot on his plate, arguably more than the other children do," Anna continued and she looked over at Happy. "I believe that you know what I am talking about Happy." Lucy's watched as the exceed's face changed and he seemed on the verge of tears.

"Happy, what is she talking about?" Lucy asked.

"If….If Natsu kills Zeref...he'll...he'll die." Everybody who was conscious gasped at the news. Lucy looked down at Natsu and for a moment she wondered if they could even save him. They couldn't kill Zeref. What were they going to do?

Anna stood up, "Lucy and Happy the exceed I would like the two of you to come with me please."

"What?"

"No, I'm not leaving Natsu!"

"Neither am I?"

"What I am about to show you will ultimately end up saving Natsu," Anna countered and that through the two off guard. "Don't worry, he will be fine here. He's in good hands."

"So there is nothing that we can do for him?" Brandish asked.

"For now, leave him be," Anna instructed. "It may not look like it, but he is facing a life changing decision." With one last look at Natsu, Lucy reluctantly stood up.

"Well, if it's going to help save Natsu…..then I'll go with you," she stated. "Plus, I have a lot of questions."

"Which will all be answered."

Lucy glanced down at Happy, "Happy?"

He nodded and whispered, "Natsu, we'll be back. I'm not going to let you die." After saying goodbye to their friends, they left the room and walked up the steps. They then started on a path through the ruins.

Lucy walked behind Anna and watched as her long ponytail swung back and forth.

" _I really thought that appearing to you in those dreams and visions would really help to lessen the impact of my physical appearance."_

 _So she was the one causing them huh?_ Lucy thought.

It also occurred to her that this was the first time in a long time that she was within distance of a relative. Anna had to be her oldest relative though, yet she didn't look a day over 35.

"Here," Anna declared as she stopped in one particular spot after walking for 20 minutes.

"Here?" Lucy asked as she looked around, they were in a clearing.

"I just want to make sure that we are not interrupted," Anna replied. "I am trying to account for the battles going on right now."

 _That's right, the war._

"Is this going to actually help Natsu and the rest of our friends?" Lucy asked. "We really don't want to waste time and-"

"Lucy," Anna interjected. "Believe me, this will not waste your time. This will help your guild. Now the two of you, please sit down." Happy and Lucy looked at each other before sitting down with Anna. The three of them were in a circle. Anna reacted into her robes and pulled out a small lacrima. It wasn't _marble_ small, more like _orange_ small. She placed it in the middle of the three of them.

"What are we going to do with this?" Happy asked.

"We will be using this lacrima as to travel back in time," Anna replied.

"What!"

"Well, actually we will be going through my memories and the memories of others that I have acquired," Anna specified. "Think of it as something similar to the eclipse gate."

Lucy peered at the sphere, "So this can be activated using celestial spirit magic?"

"That's correct."

Lucy instinctively touched her keys, "But I don't have all of them. We're missing three."

"Do not worry about that, I made sure to prepare this lacrima years ago," Anna answered. "Meaning that it's already been activated using the keys. It just needs the two of us to touch it."

"The two of us?"

"The two of us."

"What about Happy?" Lucy asked.

"Oh he can just hold onto you." Happy jumped into Lucy's lap, as if he truly believed that Lucy was going to let him get left behind.

"Alright, are the two of you ready?" Anna asked. Lucy glanced down at Happy.

"As ready as we'll ever be," She replied as she took a deep breath.

"Once you touch the lacrima, just focus on the magic power coursing through you," Anna instructed. Lucy nodded and brought her finger down onto the lacrima. At first she was just feeling how cold the sphere was, then she began to feel a warmth spreading through her and it started at her finger tip. Her eyes widened when she saw Anna start glowing in front of her. Her ancestor smiled at her and Lucy looked down. She saw that she was glowing that same gold color as well. The warmth engulfed her body and then everything went black.

* * *

When Lucy came to, she opened her eyes and saw that she was staring up at tree branches. The backdrop for these branches was a bright, blue sky.

 _Trees?_ Lucy thought. _A forest?_

As she sat up, she felt and heard leaves crunching under her. She also managed to wake up a certain exceed as well.

"Awww, is it morning already?" He asked. He had been laying on her stomach.

"Time to jump back into reality Happy," Lucy stated. Happy completely woke up and looked around.

"Whoa," He exclaimed. "Are we still in the clearing?" A soft wind blew through and shook the branches.

"Something is telling me no," Lucy replied. "Those trees weren't there before."

"You are right Lucy." They were joined by Anna, who looked ready to go and not at all disoriented.

"The lacrima worked, though I shouldn't be surprised since it was my contraption. You just can never be sure what kind of effect 400 years has on a magic tool and-"

"Uh, when and where are we exactly?" Lucy asked as she and Happy got up.

"Fiore, 400 years in the past," Anna replied. "I believe that in your time there is a bakery where we are standing right now.

"You couldn't just have us land in the same spot?" Happy asked.

"No can do, this is my memory, which means that we are around where I was 400 years ago," Anna replied.

"Around where you were?"

"Yep, follow me," She instructed. "I will show you where I am." The three of them walked a short distance to a space that was completely free of trees over head. It was huge, as this spot had been purposely cleared out to fit multiple dragons.

Speaking of dragons, at that moment, one flew over their heads. Happy and Lucy jumped. You would think that they would be used to seeing dragons by now given what they've been through, but Lucy had come to believe long ago that this was something that was tough to get used to.

"Everything is alright," Anna assured them. "Remember, this is a memory. Nothing can hurt you."

Lucy sighed, "Right, of course." She straighten herself out and saw a familiar blonde woman walking towards them.

"That's you?" Lucy guessed.

"That's me." Anna looked exactly the same, the only real difference was her clothing. She was wearing red and white robes instead of blue.

"Hm, I am glad I stuck with blue, red just doesn't seem to suit me," Anna commented after taking a good look at herself.

 _Wait, she's worrying about her clothing right now?_ Lucy thought

"Hey Lucy, she's just like you," Happy whispered.

"What's that supposed to mean stupid cat?"

"Oh look there they are." The three of them watched as a dragon came into view and it landed a few feet away from Anna of the past. This dragon was covered in silver, iron scales that almost looked like armor. It could only be….

"Metalicana," Lucy said.

Anna nodded, "Correct." Metalicana got down low enough, so the kid on his back could have no problem sliding off.

 _Don't tell me…._

"Gajeel," Happy and Lucy exclaimed. They weren't surprised about the fact that he was with Metalicana, they knew that he was his foster father. What they were surprised about, was his appearance. He still had that same black hair, only not as much of it. He had those round studs on his face even as a child and wore a surly expression that they had definitely seen on Gajeel at one point.

"Thank God we're not late or else you would have seen the tail end of it kid," Metalicana stated.

"Shut up Dad you're annoying me," Gajeel replied.

"What you just say to me? I know that you did not just get an attitude with me! We could go right back home, right now and do some iron drills!"

"Hello Metalicana. Hello Gajeel," Anna said pleasantly.

"Hello Anna," Metalicana responded. " _Gajeel_."

Gajeel rolled his eyes, "Hello Anna."

"He is going through a rebellious stage I see," Anna implied as she chuckled.

"No, unfortunately he is always like that," Metalicana said.

"Around _you_ maybe!"

"What you say!"

"Gajeel is a unique case," Anna informed Lucy and Happy. "In a sense that out of the five of them, he is the only one that had some memories at this point of his biological parents."

Lucy's eyes widened, "What do you mean?"

"Well, his parents were both merchants in a village up north," Anna explained. "This village was ravaged by a disease which ended up killing half of the population. Those who survived got out as fast as they could, including Gajeel's family. Unfortunately, both his parents became sick from that disease on the way to the next village and ended up dying on the road. That poor boy had to leave his family and continue that the trek on his own. Metalicana found him in a small camp that he had made for himself."

Lucy frowned, "Oh…"

"Shame isn't it? In a world where everyone was worried about a dragon attack, what ends up killing you is a virus."

"How did you find that all out? Did Gajeel tell you?" Happy asked.

"Not really," Anna answered. "And Metalicana knew as much as Gajeel had told him. I went and did my own research. Although, there were not a lot of records out there on the poorer people in the world at this time."

"Right, but I thought it was just a case of not a lot information surviving from such a chaotic time," Lucy said.

"I can see why they would think that, but it was more along the lines of what were the most important things to write down and save," Anna explained. "Oh here is another arrival." Lucy and Happy looked up to see a dragon with a white body flying above them. Its scales almost looked like bird feathers.

"Grandeeney! Wendy," Past Anna called. The white dragon landed and a little girl slid off of it.

"Wendy," Happy exclaimed. Wendy Marvell had the same blue hair and big eyes as they'd always known.

"Welcome you two," Anna said as she went over to the two of them.

"Thank you Anna," Grandeeney responded. "Metalicana. Gajeel." The other two in attendance said hello.

"What was Wendy's background?" Lucy asked.

"Hm, well since she was born, Wendy lived in several orphanages in Crocus," Anna answered. "Apparently, she was moved around a lot because of bad behavior."

"Bad behavior?" Lucy asked. "We _are_ talking about Wendy right?"

Anna nodded, "A few of the people who worked at the orphanages that Wendy was at said that she would do things like yell a lot, talk at inappropriate times, and take things from others."

"Wow, I can't believe that," Lucy commented.

"Consider this though," Anna said. "She was one of the smallest children in they orphanages with 30 other kids at best. How else are you going to make sure that they don't forget to feed you? That they don't forget to give you a pillow and blanket? Her size did help her, as she was adopted eventually by a family. A little while later this family had gone out to go fishing in the woods and poor Wendy managed to get seperated from them. That's how she found Grandeeney and according to her foster mother she gave her such a fright."

"Such tragic stories," Lucy said.

"And unfortunately at this time there were many others like them," Anna added. "Despite the fact that there was a dragon civil war going on, many tried to live as peaceful a life as possible. Sadly, that life wasn't without any hardships." Seeing her descendant's sad face, Anna placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," She continued. "But like I said before there is a reason that you need to know this in particular."

Lucy nodded, "I understand." Just then, two more dragons arrived. One dragon was light-colored with feathery almost angel like wings. The other one was covered in pitch black scales from head to toe.

Past Anna greeted them, "Welcome."

"Skiadrum and Weisslogia," Grandeeney stated as they landed. "Did you two come here together?"

"No we did not Grandeeney," Skiadrum replied. "We simply ran into each other on the way and got into a discussion."

"What kind of discussion?" Metalicana asked.

"One that we will talk about once everyone gets here," Weisslogia answered as a blonde haired boy slid of off his back.

"Hello Sting," Past Anna said.

"Sting Eucliffe was a very rambunctious little boy," Anna stated. "He almost rivaled Natsu in that sense."

"Not surprising," Happy commented and Lucy nodded in agreement.

"Sting had lived with his much older brother after his parents had died," Anna said. "I had found out his name….what was it? Oh that is right, it was Lector."

"What!"

"Which is why I found it interesting that he met an exceed with that exact same name," Anna added. "Anyway, Lector perished in a fire in their village, leaving young Sting homeless and without any other family. Despite his age, he managed to survive on his own for a little bit before he met Weisslogia."

"It's nice to see you," Past Anna stated as she knelt down to speak to a little boy with black hair.

"Rogue, known as Ryos at this point, was a very quiet boy. He was very stoic. He was born to a young mother, who actually left him at an orphanage in their village with a note explaining her situation," Anna told Lucy and Happy. "She had only had him for a year, before she could no longer take care of him. A few years later, according to the people running the orphanage, he disappeared. Skiadrum explained to me that the boy had told him that he ran away."

"Wow."

"Yes." Lucy observed all four dragon slayers and their foster parents. They had come from such sad situations, yet managed to find loving parents in the end.

"Wait," She said. "Where's Natsu and Igneel?"

"They're late aren't they?" Metalicana asked.

"They should be coming," Anna replied. "I don't think that Igneel would miss a meeting without notice." As if on cue, a large red dragon appeared in the sky.

"There they are," Grandeeney said.

"We apologize for being late," Igneel stated as he landed. "Right Natsu?" A pink-haired boy slid off of his back.

"Right," He replied as he rubbed his eyes. "But I wanted to sleep some mo-"

" _Natsu_."

" _I apologize_."

"What was Natsu's life like before he met Igneel?" Lucy asked Anna.

"Hm, well in this case it is better if I show you instead of tell you," Anna answered.

"You knew Natsu before he met Igneel?"

"I did not. What you are about to see, are memories from his older brother."


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever. That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it! It's nice to see that there's an interest in this story. It really does make me happy, because I enjoy working on this.**

 ***Sorry that it took so long to update***

"Wait, Natsu has an older brother?" Lucy asked. In all the years that she's known the dragon slayer, this was the first that she had heard of any family besides Igneel.

Anna nodded, "Yes, isn't that right Happy?" Lucy looked down at Happy, who was in her arms. The exceed did not look at all surprised, which meant that this was not the first time that he had heard this.

"Happy, why didn't you tell me that Natsu? In fact, why did he never mention it?" Did everyone in the guild know that Natsu had a brother? He knew about her family? Why hadn't he ever mentioned that he had a brother?

"H-He just found out recently too," Happy replied.

"Oh really? Like over the year that you guys were gone?"

"No….after that…."

 _After that?_ Lucy thought back to all of their experiences together after she, Happy and Natsu had been reunited. They had been together for a good majority of that time, when would he have found out about a brother and she not hear about it?

She glanced back at Happy, who now looked nervous.

"Lucy." She looked up and saw Anna holding out the same lacrima from before.

"You wanted to know about what Natsu's life was like before correct?" she asked and Lucy nodded.

"Then, like before, place one finger on the lacrima," Anna instructed. Lucy did just that and felt the familiar warmth coursing through her body. Gradually, that warmth overcame her senses and her vision went black.

The first thing that Lucy felt when she came to her senses was the sting of a cold breeze. She opened her eyes and saw that she was once again staring up at a blue sky. This time, there were no branches obstructing her view. Though there must have been trees close by since she saw an occasional leaf or two fly over.

Lucy sat up slowly, she ended up on the ground again. Once again, she wasn't the only one either. Happy had also ended up on the ground right next to her. The only one who was on their feet was Anna, but then again she probably just recovered faster like the last time.

"Where are we?" Happy asked as he sat up. They were on a grassy hill, Lucy could tell that

much.

"Come over here you two," Anna prompted. After a few wobbly moments, the two of them stood up and walked over to the edge of the hill where Anna was standing.

"Whoa." Lucy took in the view. The hill where they were overlooked a beautiful looked like it came right out of the storybooks Lucy's mother used to read to her.

"Welcome to the village of Forsythia," Anna stated.

"Forsythia," Lucy whispered. It was definitely fall and the changing colors of the leaves only added to the village's charm. Even from where they were, she could hear laughter and see people walking around.

"So this is where Natsu and his brother lived," Lucy said.

"Oh this village had the best apple cakes," Anna stated as she started down the hill. She took a few steps, then stopped, and turned around.

"Are you tooth ready to the get a closer look?" she asked. "We won't be able to see anything from just standing up here." Lucy nodded and looked down at her exceed friend. Happy had a distant look on his face, like his mind was somewhere else.

"Ready Happy?" Lucy asked. His face changed when he heard her question.

"Yep," He exclaimed as he flew into her arms. Lucy smiled and rubbed the top of his head.

"Happy, I'm not sure what's wrong with you right now, but I just want you to know that everything is going to be alright," she said. "Okay?"

Happy grinned, "Okay! Thanks Lucy." They followed Anna down the hill and into the village.

"I guess it's the same as before, they can't see or hear us," Lucy commented.

"That is correct," Anna said. They entered the village and seeing the people up close really made Lucy feel like she had stepped back in time. She didn't know why she didn't get that feeling when she had seen the little dragon slayers. Maybe it's because she was more focused on who they were than what they were wearing?

She saw a lot of clothing that was beautifully draped. Both men and women had really pretty fabrics on. These were fabrics that she had never seen before in her lifetime. It was amazing to look at.

"Forsythia was known for their textiles," Anna said. She had noticed her descendant's fascination with the clothing around her.

"Oh really?"

"Yes, a lot of very skilled craftsmen lived here, even the royal family would make the trip of here for their fabrics," Anna explained.

"That's amazing," Lucy said. They travelled to the north side of the village and Lucy noticed that their surroundings became much more residential.

"Natsu come on we have to go!" She paused when she heard that.

 _Natsu?_ She thought as she turned around. That's when she saw a familiar little boy with pink spiky hair standing by one of the houses. She couldn't see who he was looking at, as they were obstructed by the building.

"But I wanna play some more," Natsu shouted with an angry look on his face. Lucy couldn't help but smile. Why did she feel like she saw him throw a tantrum just like this before?

Some people never change.

"But mother and father said we should be home before dinner! They will get angry if we are late!" Lucy wanted to get closer to see who Natsu was talking to, but she felt Happy grab her arm.

"Happy what's-"

"You will have to catch me!" Little Natsu started running towards them and Lucy felt her blood run cold when she saw who was chasing him.

"No way…." A little boy with black hair, big eyes, and a determined look on his face. He was much younger, but there was no mistaking it.

"Zeref..Zeref! The black wizard _Zeref_ is Natsu's brother?" She turned around and looked at Anna, who had been watching her intently.

"Yes," she answered.

"But…...why…..how….." Then it all began adding up and she looked down at Happy.

"When Natsu went to go face Zeref-"

"He told him that he was his brother," Happy finished. "But Natsu didn't believe him."

"Oh my gosh!" This was shocking, possibly even more shocking than hearing that Natsu would die if Zeref dies.

"You worked with Zeref on the plan to send the dragon slayers to the future," Lucy said to Anna. "You knew that Natsu is Zeref's brother this whole time."

"Of course, not when I first met him, but I found out eventually," Anna replied. "Then again, it was not understandably as big of a deal as it is to you two."

"This is insane."

"But it is the truth," Anna said. "And this is a truth that you need to know and understand. Like I said before, this is something that will help your guild. So let us take a deep breath and continue on to the Dragneel household." Happy, Lucy, and Anna took a deep breath. That did help everyone to feel a little more grounded. Lucy and Happy followed Anna to the Dragneel house and they passed right into the house. It was like they were ghosts.

Lucy looked around, the house was nice and quaint. They stopped in the dining room and watched the four person family gather for dinner.

 _So those were Natsu's biological parents._ Lucy thought. Those people were his mother and father. There was no denying that, Natsu looked a lot like his father and Zeref took more of his mother's physical traits.

"Their names were Thex and Shanni Dragneel," Anna stated and Lucy nodded. Thex, Shanni, Zeref, and Natsu. They looked like such a happy little family. Who would have thought those two laughing little boys would end up on opposite sides of a war?

Without warning, everything went black.

"What happened?" Happy asked.

"The memory ended," Anna told them. Suddenly they were standing in the same house that they were before, only this time everything was in ruin. It looked like an huge explosion had happened. Lucy looked around and was horrified to see that all of the buildings in the area were that exact same way.

"What...What happened?"

"Dragon attack," Anna answered solemnly. "They were not uncommon during this time."

"There's some much destruction," Lucy commented. This wasn't anything like when they fought those dragons in Crocus. This was ten times worse.

"No!" They heard a scream and looked in that direction. In a corner of the decimated house, they saw a young Zeref Dragneel digging through rubble.

"No! No! No!" The boy kept screaming and upon further inspection Lucy saw that he had blood all over himself.

"Natsu," Zeref screamed as he pulled a boy out of the rubble.

"No! No! No!" Lucy could feel tears rolling down her eyes as she watched the scene unfold. She could feel Happy shaking.

"Is that…."

"Yes, yes it is."

"But….is he…."

"Yes, the day of the attack Natsu lost his life, along with his parents. Zeref was the only survivor," Anna explained. Lucy was floored, absolutely shocked. Natsu had died. Natsu had _died._

"So….so was he-" Before she could finish her sentence, the memory changed again and they found themselves standing in an all white room. It looked like some sort of laboratory. Still not completely over the previous memory, Lucy wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Where are we now?" She asked. It came out a bit more hostile than she had meant it, but her emotions were still in overdrive.

"This is where Zeref did his research and conducted his experiments," Anna said.

"A kid was able to get into this kind of space?" Happy asked. They heard the door to the room open and Zeref was standing there. Only this time, he looked much older. He looked closer to the Zeref that they knew.

"After the devastating attack on Forsythia, Zeref went on to attend school at Mildian Magic Academy," Anna told them. "He wanted desperating to bring his younger brother Natsu back to life and spent hours researching the taboo subject of human life." They watched as Zeref walked past them and went over to a desk in the corner of the room.

Lucy frowned, she never thought that she would feel any kind of sympathy for a wizard like Zeref. A man who was the catalyst for some much darkness in people's lives. The man who was willing to kill her friends just for magic power.

"He was expelled from the academy for not complying to their rules and Zeref was angered by the fact that one of his superiors casted doubt upon him ever bringing back his brother. He was cursed the God Ankhseram, because he defiled the law of life. Zeref began to exert a black aura around himself that evidently ended up massacring the entire academy," Anna told them. Zeref got up and walked over to what Lucy thought looked like an incubator. They followed him, Lucy and Happy gasped when they saw what was inside. It was Natsu, he looked exactly how he did when they first saw him in Forsythia. Zeref had managed to preserve his brother's body for such a long time.

"Several books later, Zeref was finally able to resurrecting his little brother as his very last demon-E.N.D," Anna said. "Etherious Natsu Dragneel." The little boy opened his eyes as Anna spoke. Lucy felt a chill go down her spine.

"So this is the Natsu that we know today," Lucy concluded.

"Hello Natsu, I am your older brother," Zeref said to the pink haired boy.

This revelation made her look back to the time that she had seen Natsu fight Gray. His dark red eyes, his claws, and how his body covered with scales. There was an almost inhuman appearance to him, that she had just attributed to some sort of super dragon slayer mode. Now, knowing what his origin was, she wasn't so sure.

"Oh this makes so much more sense now," Lucy said. "Gray wanted to defeat E.N.D. Gray must have known and that's why he was fighting Natsu."

"That was the case," Anna confirmed. The memory changed again. This time, they were standing in a field. A large red dragon that they recognized as Igneel sitting in front of them looking behind them. Lucy turned around and saw Zeref approaching with a young Natsu.

"Zeref and Igneel were friends," Anna explained. "Zeref had met Igneel while he was out gathering herbs for research. Some time later, Igneel decided to teach Natsu how to use dragon slayer magic and Zeref entrusted his friend with his brother. It was the start of a plan that would eventually lead to each of the five dragons sealing themselves inside the five dragon slayers." They watched as the situation that Anna spoke about unfolded.

"All of this was just to defeat Acnologia in the end?" Lucy asked.

"Well, the idea was that by sealing their souls into the children's bodies, they could prevent them from turning into dragons and go to a time period were Ethernano was plentiful," Anna replied. "The year X777 was picked because the Ethernano levels were so great. They would allow the dragons to heal their wounded souls."

"And in order to keep it a secret from the dragon slayers, they were made to believe that their foster parents abandoned them," Lucy guessed.

"That is correct," Anna stated.

"But then, that doesn't explain why you came through with them," Lucy stated. "Assuming that you came through the eclipse gate as well."

Anna nodded, "I did."

"Why?"

Anna sighed, "And that question brings us to the final piece of the puzzle. Lucy, it's time for you to understand why I traveled 400 years into the future, why I started contacting you a month ago, and how the Heartfilia family came to be."


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever. That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

Happy and Lucy watched silently in anticipation as Anna pulled out another small lacrima, only this time it was red.

"Ready?" Anna asked as she studied her descendant's reaction, she could tell that she was nervous. Which was to be expected, since unlike Anna, she did not have time to prepare for this moment.

Lucy nodded, "Yes." This information could not only help her, but the guild as well.

She needed to remember that.

Lucy glanced down at Happy, who nodded as well.

"I'm ready too!" He was going to stick with Lucy no matter what. The two of them brought their fingers down on the lacrima. Just like before, Lucy felt a warmth through her. It continued to engulf her body before her vision went black.

Just as her vision went black, she felt herself opening her eyes again. This time she was looking up at another clear blue sky. As she sat up, she felt the softness of the grass under her.

She scanned the area that she had landed and saw that she was in a wide, open field. Lucy spotted Anna standing a distance away from her, the wind rippling her long blonde hair. She didn't see Happy though.

"Happy? Happy?"

"Ugh Lucy!" She heard his voice and then felt pressure on her butt.

That's when it dawned on her.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry Happy," she assured the exceed as she jumped up. Happy staggered to his little feet and made a big show of straightening out his tail.

"Ow Lucy! Your butt is so big," he stated. Lucy's face turned completely red, even though she was the only one that heard his comment.

"Oh shut up," she retorted. She didn't try to hit the exceed, only because Anna had entered the conversation at that point.

"Are you two ready to go?" she asked. The Heartfilia woman had a solemn look on her face.

"Anna, are you okay?" Lucy inquired and her ancestor gave her a small smile.

"Yes, it is just that these will be a bit harder to share," she said simply and Lucy didn't push any more of an answer. Anna turned around and began walking through the field.

Clearly, she knew where she was going.

Happy and Lucy followed her and in no time the trio happened upon a little girl. She looked to be at least five years old, with her blonde hair in a single braid and her small frame immersed in a book that looked to be twice her size.

"That's you, isn't it?" Lucy guessed.

Anna nodded, "I was five years old. The book that you see me reading was given to me by my father, Adrian. It was all about celestial spirits and the zodiac signs. My father was not a celestial wizard, but still made it his life's work to compile research on celestial spirits and the zodiac. To this day, I never figured out what inspired him to go down such a path. Nonetheless, his enthusiasm inspired me and I became enamored with tales of the celestials spirits. Sometimes, he would let me take one of his research books out of his workshop. I was not entirely proficient at reading just yet, but there were plenty of pictures for me to examine. I soon made the decision to become a celestial wizard when I grew up and find the 12 zodiac keys."

While she was listening to Anna's story, Lucy watched the younger Anna peering at each of the pages in the book that she was reading. She smiled, a love for celestial spirits and the zodiac ran deep in her family for generations. That fact alone, made her happy.

"So this is where it all began," Lucy stated.

"Yes, this is where it all began," Anna said as the memory changed. The tall green grass and the blue sky disappeared from view. They were replaced by nightfall and a much rockier landscape.

Now, a young woman was sitting at a makeshift campsite. She was tending to the fire and carefully cooking food. It was not hard to tell that it was Anna this time around. Lucy thought that she looked maybe ten or so years younger than she was now.

"After so many years of studying celestial spirit magic, I ended up going on my journey to find the 12 zodiac keys," Anna explained. "I went despite the fear that my parents felt and the question of whether I should be getting married instead of finding the keys."

"Really? You would think that your father would encourage it, since he spent so much time studying them," Happy commented.

"Looking back, I think that he just did not realize how much of an impact the information had on me. Another possibility is that he just simply underestimated it," Anna replied. At that moment, a young man came out of the tent. He had a tan skin tone with short, spiky hair that was dark blue. The younger Anna smiled when she saw him and he laughed as he took in the sight.

"I still cannot believe that you decided to cook," He said down on one of the logs near the fire.

"You should be proud, I am able to cook you a good meal thanks to all of your lessons," Anna responded playfully. "In fact, think of this as a thank you for all of your hard work." From the way, they were acting-they seemed to be really good friends. Happy actually couldn't help but think of Natsu and Lucy when he looked at them.

Lucy turned to Anna, "Who is that?"

Anna sighed, "That's Nol, Nol Kenis. I met him during my travels in the town of Begonia. He lived there with his family and had been a big help in my quest to find Capricorn's key in particular. After that, he asked me if it was alright if he occupied me on the rest of my journey. I told him that it was fine with me and that I was grateful for the company. It was not always easy traveling alone, as I am sure that you know."

Lucy glanced down at her feet as she thought about that period of time that she was traveling alone after running away from an unhappy home life. Of course, on the one hand, there was an astounding sense of adventure that came with breaking away from her father. On the other hand, there was a sense of fear and uncertainty-regarding if she was going to be able to join a guild.

"Yeah."

Just like that, the memory changed before their eyes and the three of them were looking at a cozy looking home in the country. A slightly older Anna and Nol were out front picking vegetables from a garden. They were laughing and smiling at each other.

"It wasn't long before we fell in love," Anna said. She had a closed mouth smile on her face, but her eyes were awash with sadness. "When I found all 12 zodiac keys a few years later, we acquired a home where we could live our lives together." For a moment, they silently watched the happy couple.

"The happiest moments of my life only lasted for six months." The memory changed once again and they were standing a few feet behind Anna. She was by a tree in the woods and looking out into a clearing. There they could see Nol speaking with a large navy blue dragon.

"There had been rumors going around about the growing tension between the dragons over whether or not they should coexist with mankind. For a while, it was simply a situation that everyone thought would work itself out. Then, Isghar was attacked," Anna recounted. "Many wizards, including myself and Nol, worked with the dragons who believed in coexisting and helped push back the enemy. Although, it was soon painfully evident that we could be facing defeat. That's when the idea of dragons enchanting humans gained fruition and that led to Nol being chosen to be one of the first dragon slayers."

"Wow," Lucy replied, thinking of all of the dragons slayers that she knew. "That's amazing."

"Yeah," Happy agreed, now having perched himself on Lucy's head. He was getting tired of standing.

"It was," Anna agreed. She went on to describe how she would watch Nol train from time to time. How Nol eventually took it and soon dragons slayers assisted in turning the tide of the war. That was a fact that Lucy and Happy were not unfamiliar with.

They owed it all to the eclipse gate incident that had happened after the Grand Magic Games.

It wasn't long before they were shown a new memory, at least a new memory to Happy and Lucy. This time Nol and Anna were in their home, which was just as cozy looking as it was on the outside. There were a few glowing lacrimas, that helped to cast long shadows of objects against the wall. From the look on their faces, the couple were in the middle of an argument.

"Yes, I understand that," Anna stressed. "But like I said I truly feel like you need to take a break from fighting! Listen to me, something is wrong Nol." Tears rolled down her cheeks as Nol balled his fists.

"I _am_ fine," He countered. "In fact, I am more than fine! For the past year, after learning dragon slayer magic, I feel powerful. I feel invincible Anna! Today I destroyed my enemies with a single attack, I had never been able to do that before."

"But innocent people got caught up in it," Anna argued. "Men, women, and children who do not use magic. Who chose not to be involved in this. Some of those people were killed!"

"Every war has casualties."

Anna looked taken aback by that statement, "You do not mean that." Nol no longer looked her in the eye and instead tried to descend to the front door. Anna stopped him and grabbed onto his shoulders. She had a look of desperation on her face as she lifted his chin up so he could look her in the eye again. To Lucy, his expression was unreadable as the tension in the room increased.

"Have you looked at yourself lately Nol?" she asked as she touched the dark blue markings on his face. "These markings…" Her voice trailed off.

"These markings show that I am a true dragon slayer," Nol sneered.

"And how do you know that?" Anna pressed. "What gave you that idea?"

"What else could they be?" he yelled and suddenly he bent down. He groaned in pain and Anna knelt down.

"Nol," Anna exclaimed and he looked up at her. His face was drastically different from before. His expression read as remorseful.

"I am so sorry Anna," se said. "Ah! I have just gotten so out of control." He hugged her and cried into her shoulder. Anna hugged him back and used one arm to rub his back.

"I know," she assured him. "But we will get through this." He pulled back and used one hand to wipe the tears from his face.

"Look, If I get worse...I want...I want you to...kill me," he whispered.

Anna's eyes widened, "What? No, I cannot."

"Please Anna," Nol begged. "I do not want to hurt your or anyone else." Anna looked like she was on the verge of crying again.

"O-ok," she replied. Then he lifted his head up and placed his lips on hers. The memory changed and they were now on a hill overlooking a burning town. It was a gruesome sight and distant screams could be heard. Anna turned around and the other two followed her lead.

Lucy could do nothing but stare silently at the horrifying sight. Happy took the opportunity to ask the question they were both wondering.

"Where is this?" he asked.

"This is Begonia, Nol's hometown," Anna confirmed. "We were out with a few other comrades when we heard that a dragon had attacked a town called Begonia in the east. We rushed over as fast as we could, but...we were too late." The Anna next to them pointed to someone on their knees a few feet away from them. Lucy saw that it was Nol. He was crouched down on his knees, shaking. The Anna in that time walked over to him. She tried to put her hand on his back, but he roughly pushed her away.

"Leave me alone," he screamed.

"Nol!"

"Leave me alone!"

"Nol, please!" Lucy's eyes widened as she watched him start to shake violently.

"Nol?" Anna asked weakly. Someone (one of their comrades probably) grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back.

"Get away from him," he ordered.

"Must kill them!" The voice that came out of that body didn't sound like the Nol they had heard before. It sounded almost like a roar, almost inhuman. Nonetheless, it sent a chill down Lucy's spine.

The area surrounding Nol began to turn blue and the man disappeared. Instead, an enormous blue and black dragon was in front of him. With white beady eyes and razor sharp teeth, the dragon let out a roar that shook the ground beneath them.

Lucy dropped to her knees in fear, a distant memory replayed in her mind.

"No way," Happy said, looking as shocked and scared as Lucy was.

"Acnologia," Lucy whispered.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever. That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

Lucy and Happy were so stricken by the sight of the monster that terrorized them on Tenrou Island, that it took a second for them to realize that they had returned back to the field where a much younger Anna was reading in the distance.

Lucy blinked a few times, "What?" She turned to Anna who was looking down at her with an unreadable expression.

"You...him...what?"

"I brought you back here so you could come to terms with what I just showed you. I cannot move forward until then," Anna informed them, still managing a perfect poker face. "I know it was a shock, considering what you have already been through."

Lucy felt like yelling: Of course it's a shock.

She felt like asking: why him?

She felt like asking: how could she have a relationship with such a monster?

Yet, none of those sentences left her mouth, because:

She had already been shown the answers.

Instead, she asked, "You can control which memories that we see?" Anna looked surprised at her question, but answered it nonetheless.

"Yes, it is because they are my memories," Anna replied.

"Which means that you showed us these for a reason," Lucy stated.

"Yes," Anna answered. Lucy still couldn't wrap her head around it, her ancestor had been in love with the dragon that killed Natsu's father Igneel.

 _How is Natsu going to react to this?_ Lucy thought. Then, she was reminded about the last time she had seen the pink-haired dragon slayer.

"Natsu," she whispered.

"Lucy?" The exceed had been quiet until that moment.

"Yes Happy?"

"Can I…?" She knew what he wanted, he didn't have to finish his sentence. She needed one too. He came down in front of her and she wrapped her arms around him. Truthfully, it was nice to have a familiar face along during all of this.

Lucy felt Anna's eyes on them and looked up from the hug. She let go of Happy who flew up into the air as she stood up.

"We're ready," She declared, her eyes locked on Anna's. Her ancestor could see the determination brewing in her eyes, but still decided to ask her one more time just to be sure she was really ready.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Happy and Lucy answered in unison. A small smile appeared on Anna's face, as Lucy reminded her a bit of herself back in the day.

So determined.

So willing to be strong and push to the very end.

Though she supposed those qualities are what helped her get to where she is today.

"Very well," she said as the memory changed. The three of them had returned to Anna and Nol's home in the country. Although, it was quite clear that the mood was drastically different from before. Anna was sitting in the garden.

Lucy thought back to Anna and Nol in the garden, laughing together.

The mood of the environment wasn't the only aspect that was drastically different, it looked like the amount of occupants of the home was as well.

Anna in the memory had her head in her hands for a period of time before lifting it. Lucy could see that her eyes were red, like she had been crying.

"After the night that you two had seen, Nol had gone on a complete rampage," Anna explained to them. "He was not the only one though. Apparently, he and a group of dragon slayers became hell-bent on killing all dragons. Then they would bathe in their blood."

That sent a chill down both Happy and Lucy's spine.

"Turning into a dragon was the true consequence of using dragon slayer magic," Anna described to them. "Your magic power increases so far to a point that you transform into a dragon. Which ended up being one of the reasons why the dragon foster parents of your friends and guildmates hid inside them for that number of years. It slowed their power increase."

"So then they never became dragons," Happy stated.

"Exactly," Anna replied. "A lesson learned after a horrifying experience. I tried to stop him. I tried to bring him to his senses, but everytime the confrontation became violent. At that point, I wanted to do everything I could to help him find his way back to the Nol that I fell in love with. He was not Acnologia, he was Nol of Begonia." Anna sighed and closed her eyes as if she was trying to maintain composure.

"Unfortunately, I could not continue my crusade," Anna continued. "Because I found out that I was with child." Lucy's eyes widened and she took an involuntary step back.

"No way," she replied. Anna did not respond to her descendant's actions, she just continued talking. She needed to hear this and the young girl had said that she was ready to move forward.

"I gave birth to a son," Anna stated as the memory changed to Anna Heartfilia sitting in a bed in the home she had shared with Nol. The celestial wizard gazed lovingly at the baby boy with blonde hair in her arms. He had the same sharp black circles around his eyes like his father. Anna gazed at the image and a small smile appeared on her face.

"Max Heartfilia," she whispered. Lucy closed her eyes and clenched her fists. She knew where this was going. Plus, when she peered at Anna's face, she could tell that she wasn't lying.

"Acnologia is...I'm...we-"

"Yes," Anna answered. Lucy did not even have to finish her sentence. Nol was Max's father which meant that the Heartfilia family were descendants of The Black Dragon.

Lucy was a descendant of Acnologia.

She unclenched her fists, took a deep breath, and opened her eyes. Silently, she looked at the memory that was displayed in front of them.

This was all so much deeper than she could have ever imagined.

Lucy also wondered why she was taking this better than when she found out that Nol was Acnologia.

That's when she remembered-Happy.

He hadn't said anything. Was he...was he going to look at her differently? Then she thought about Natsu, her ancestor had killed his father. She was related to the most evil dragon slayer in the entire world.

She turned to the flying blue exceed and saw that he was already looking at her. He had a determined look on his face, with tears flowing out of his eyes.

"Ha-"

"Lucy!" He flew over to her and hugged her again.

"I know what you're thinking and I want you to know that I don't blame you," he cried passionately. "I know that Natsu wouldn't either, he loves you!"

Those last three words blew Lucy away and then she shook her head.

Happy couldn't have possibly meant _that_ way.

They were friends...best friends... _family_. He loved her like family.

She wrapped her arms around Happy and hugged him.

"Thank you Happy," she whispered. After the two broke apart, they turned back to Anna, who was smiling at them.

"What is it?" Lucy asked.

"I am just joyful," Anna answered. "I now truly see that this was all an excellent idea."

Lucy nodded, "Good." The two Heartfilias smiled at each other for a moment. Then the memory changed once again and they turned to view Anna sitting on the same hill as she had as a child. This time, as an adult, she was also perched on the grass alone.

"This was the day after I decided to leave Max with my parents," Anna explained. "I could not dream of telling Nol or finding someway to approach him about his son. Honestly, I did not know where he was. In the year after Max's birth, I found that I could not forget what Nol had asked me to do that night. The conversation...haunted me...to the point where I could no longer ignore it. I had to find some way to save him, even if it meant killing him. I knew the true Nol and I knew that he would not have wanted it to get to that point."

Anna in the memory began to cry then.

"It all hit me at that moment," Anna said. "Everything that I was forced to give up to settle this sense of justice and I began to feel angry at myself. I was angry that I felt like I had to do something to stop the chaos that was going on around me. I was angry that I could not ignore or forget the conversation where the man that I loved asked me to kill him. I was angry that I had to give up my son. I knew that it was for his safety, but I also knew that I may never be able to see him again. I was angry at how powerless I felt, even with my keys. As you know, those celestial spirits are amazing and I found the strongest sense of peace when I worked with each of them. I loved them, but at the same time I knew that we would not be strong enough to stop Nol."

The emotions in Anna's voice made it clear how worked up she was, but physically was able to remain composed as she spoke.

The memory changed again to Anna, sitting in what looked like a library or something similar to it. Nonetheless, the entire room was filled from head to toe with books. The celestial wizard was sitting at a desk in the middle of the room. She was flipping through a book with a frustrated look on her face.

Anna described to them how she then threw herself into concocting a plan to stop and possibly save Nol.

"I traveled to many places over the next few months and read through countless books," Anna recounted. "I tried to consult several wizards, but many were too afraid of the dragon slayers to offer useful advice. A lot of people believed I was asking for death, looking to go after Nol or _Acnologia_ like that. He had made quite a name for himself."

Lucy watched as the memory changed again to Anna now walking through the woods. The three of them followed her to a clearing, similar to the one where they had seen the dragon slayers that they knew in their time as children.

In the memory, Anna paused and glanced up at the sky.

"Is she looking at how blue the sky is?" Happy asked.

"No of course not," Lucy replied. "She was probably waiting for someone who was going to come from the skies."

"No, I was admiring how blue that sky was," Anna clarified. "Really it was unnaturally blue that, especially with the war still going on."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, she stood corrected apparently.

Rustling was coming for the trees and Anna in the memory turned around. That prompted the three of them to turn around as well and Lucy gasped.

It was Zeref, he looked exactly how he did in the memories that Anna had showed them with him as an adult. He looked intimidating and of course a little scary. Those traits did not seem to effect Anna at all.

Then again, as Lucy thought, Anna had seen worse.

The two wizards walked towards each other, the sounds of the wind and the leaves on the trees playing in the background. They stopped a few feet from each other.

"Anna Heartfilia?" Zeref asked and Anna nodded.

"Yes, Zeref?" she inquired and he nodded.

"I met him through Igneel," Anna told Lucy and Happy. "Like I said before, they were friends. I had only met Igneel once before and ran into him by chance. He was with a young boy, who you know as Natsu. I explained to him my goal and he said that he knew someone who may be able to help. That he would talk to Zeref about my situation and the wizard would meet me in the clearing that you see now. I had exhausted a lot of other options, so I decided to give this one a chance."

The three of them watched as Anna and Zeref began to have a conversation with one another.

"A plan that would end up affecting so many lives was developed in a simple clearing," Anna said. "And looking back, I only have one regret."


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever. That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

Lucy turned to Anna, "And what was that?"

Anna sighed, "I wish that I was able to find a way to help your mother." Lucy guessed that she was referring to her mother's part in the 400-year plan.

"It wasn't your fault," Lucy replied. "I'm sure that there's nothing that you could have done." She was sure that Anna would have done something to prevent her mother from risking her life if she could.

"While I am happy that my orders were successfully passed down, I was saddened to hear what happened to the person who eventually opened the gate from the other side," Anna explained.

"Who did you hear it from?" Lucy inquired.

"Your mother of course," Anna answered simply.

Lucy's eyes widened, "Wait, what do you mean?" She turned away from the scene in front of them and looked at Anna. "You met her?"

Anna nodded, "After I traveled through the Eclipse Gate, I was met in the year X777 by Layla Heartfilia and Toma E. Fiore within his palace in Crocus. The three of us met and discussed what happened. What we planned to do next. Your mother looked like a frail young woman, but her eyes burned with such determination. This was the moment where I truly knew that I had made the right decision, leaving Max with my parents. I do not know if it would have succeeded in any other way."

Lucy couldn't help but smile, but then again, she did that often whenever someone talked about how amazing her mother was. That being said, it was even more mind-blowing hearing her ancestor Anna Heartfilia talking about her. It was crazy that they even met, but she guessed that it was no crazier than Anna standing there talking to her.

"I informed Fiore and Layla that I was going to recover the lost dragon slayers," Anna continued. "Before we all dispersed, Layla and I had asked Fiore to destroy the Eclipse Gate. We all knew how dangerous it could be if it ended up in the wrong hands, obviously Fiore did not heed our request."

"Your younger brother?"

Their attention was brought back to the scene in front of them, Anna and Zeref talking in the clearing.

"Yes, my brother Natsu will be one of the dragon slayers going to the future," Zeref stated. "That is a condition, or I will not offer my services to this endeavor."

"I have no qualms with your brother being included, as it stands it would be an excellent idea," Anna replied. "Igneel is the fire dragon king, we will need him in the end, so it only makes sense that he goes to a time period where he can properly heal. The only question is, who will the other four pairings be?"

"I am sure that you will be able to come to a conclusion regarding that question," Zeref answered. "Your brilliance and adept celestial wizarding skills are known throughout the land. Combined with what I have to offer, I bselieve that this plan will come to fruition."

Anna nodded, "I agree wholeheartedly."

The memory changed back to the field where a younger Anna had been reading in the distance. Lucy looked around as she felt the tall grass brush against her legs.

"Is this just your default memory?" she asked.

"Well after that little scene with Zeref, we were at the end of the memories that I wanted to show you," Anna explained as she turned towards them fully. "I just thought that this was a very relaxing place to be. Should I pick somewhere else?"

"This is fine," Lucy answered.

"You said before that you left to recover the dragon slayers," Happy stated as he hovered next to Lucy. "Did you not come through the gate with them?"

"The six of us traveled through the Eclipse Gate together, but I was advised prior to the act by Zeref, who said that there was a high likelihood that we would get separated," Anna replied. "A side effect of multiple beings traveling through the gate at one time, so I was prepared to look for the children."

"They ended up being far away from each other, didn't they?" Lucy guessed. She imagined Anna, with her cloak flowing behind her, traveling all over the kingdom looking for the dragon slayers. She may have traveled all over the continent for all Lucy knew

"Wendy, Gajeel, and Natsu were a fair distance away from each other," Anna responded. "I estimated that it would be years before any of those three crossed paths with each other. Peculiarly, Sting and Ryos were near each other. They had always been a little pair, even 400 years ago, for some reason I could not bear to separate them further. Though, I told myself that I was not going to have too much influence over the children's lives."

"Why is that?" Lucy asked.

"For one thing, they had all lost their memories. It would only confuse the children if I went up to them and introduced myself," Anna answered. "In addition to that, I wanted them to have some control over their lives. After training for the sheer purpose of Acnologia, they deserved to develop on their own terms in this new time period. Plus, ability-wise, it was a great deal more effective than training them like soldiers."

Lucy thought about everything that she knew about the dragon slayers' backgrounds, especially the ones in Fairy Tail. Wendy's face popped in her mind, telling her friends about how lonely she was when she was younger. This was right before she met Mystogan.

"But they were all alone," Happy commented. Lucy gasped, the exceed was speaking without thinking.

"And I admit there are times, looking back, where I wish I had broken my promise to myself," Anna stated. "I am pleased that it did work out in the end."

Anna went on to tell them that she did return to the Heartfilia mansion, in hopes to check on Layla again. Unfortunately, she came across a grave on the property and learned of Layla's fate.

"I was devastated," Anna told them. "I felt in a way, that it was my fault and I did not even know if she had children. Still I continued to come back to her grave to pay my respects every so often and that is when I saw you Lucy. A little blonde girl walking around the garden with her nanny. With one look, my feelings of hope were reignited. The hope that you would display as much of an interest in celestial wizardry as your mother and family members before you. I needed that because-"

"Because?" Lucy prompted.

"Because I had devised a plan to coincide with the 400-year plan," Anna replied. "Not a backup plan, more like insurance and this is something that I need you for."

"Why do you need a second plan?" Lucy asked. "I thought that the dragon slayers' were going to be strong enough to stop Acnologia together."

Anna sighed, "While they have trained hard over a large amount of time, this will not be an easy endeavor. We are dealing with a powerful enemy here."

Lucy nodded; she was right there.

"Which is why my second plan involves using Acnologia against himself," Anna said.

Both Lucy and Happy repeated the sentence in their heads. To Anna, their faces expressed genuine confusion, something that was not unexpected.

"I am very well-versed in the art of potion-making," Anna said as she reached in a bag (that Lucy and Happy not noticed until that moment).

She pulled out a small vial filled with deep blue liquid.

"There are certain limitations that come with fighting a blood relative," Anna explained. "While it doesn't directly correlate to magic power levels, if one person is slightly stronger than his family member. Sharing the same DNA, can give the weaker person an extra boost. I have seen it happen before."

"You're not trying to have me drink that and fight Acnologia are you?" Lucy asked.

Anna smiled and shook her head, "Not exactly, you see in order to finish this potion-I need a DNA sample of a powerful blood relative of Acnologia."

That is when everything clicked in Lucy's mind.

"Me," she stated, and Anna nodded.

Lucy hesitated, "I don't know, I mean without my keys I'm not...well most people wouldn't say that I'm exactly _powerful._ " She looked down at her feet, suddenly embarrassed about admitting her faults to someone like Anna.

"Lucy," Happy said, hating to hear her talk like that.

"Oh, my dear," Anna stated as she put a hand on Lucy's shoulder. The celestial wizard looked up slowly. "You are much more powerful than you realize. We Heartfilias share a bond with the celestial world that goes much deeper than summoning spirits from keys."

"What...what do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"Well, the gist of it is back when I was on my journey to find all of the zodiac keys, certain events occurred that led me to be able to save the celestial world," Anna answered. "I was visited by the Celestial Wizard King, who told me that he was in my debt and that in return he would lend me some of his power whenever I came to need it-"

"What!" Lucy and Happy exclaimed.

"I asked him if the same could be achieved by any of my descendants who came after me and became celestial wizards. He said that it would be but, they would have to be incredibly skilled and employ a certain amount of focus to access his power," Anna continued, as if she hadn't heard them yell. "Nonetheless, if he ever crossed paths with any of my descendants, he would acknowledge his promise by referring to them as an old friend."

"That makes so much sense now," Lucy said, thinking back to all the times she had run into the celestial wizard king. He had constantly called her old friend and she never thought to ask why.

"Don't worry you will get to that point," Anna told her. "I do expect that at some point you will surpass me."

Lucy laughed sheepishly, "Oh I don't know."

Then she sighed, "What do you need from me to make this happen? Blood?"

Anna shook her head, "Oh no, hair will do just fine." Lucy felt a pinch on the side of her head before watching Happy fly over to Anna with a long blonde strand.

"Ow, Happy that hurt," Lucy complained.

"Sorry, but I thought that you would take too long trying to pick out the perfect strand," Happy stated and Lucy just rolled her eyes. As soon as the strand touched the liquid, it began to disintegrate into it. Anna then placed the cap back on the bottle and attached the vial to a chain. She walked over to Lucy and placed the chain around her neck.

Lucy looked down, picked up the small vial, and rolled it between her fingers.

"Why are you giving this to me?" Lucy asked.

"Because you will know the best time to use this," Anna replied.

"Wait, but isn't this your plan?" Lucy inquired.

"How do you know that is not part of it?" Anna asked. Lucy couldn't answer that, she had a point there. She glanced over at Happy, who shrugged.

"So, what now?" Lucy asked.

"Now, it is time to get you two back," Anna answered. "I am sure that Natsu is waiting for you."

The pink haired fire dragon slayers face appeared in Lucy's mind.

"But, will I ever see you again?" Lucy asked. This woman was part of her family, technically the only Heartfilia family member alive besides Lucy. She had so many more questions, especially regarding celestial wizardry. That being said, she and Happy really had to get back to Natsu.

"Do not worry my dear," Anna told her. "We will meet again."


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever. That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

"Lucy just let me carry you!"

"Oh what...okay."

Lucy stopped running and let her exceed friend lift her up in the air. As soon as they returned, the two of them said goodbye to Anna and headed back to the room where they had left Natsu with the others.

As soon as they reached the place, Lucy felt her feet touch the ground and turned to Happy.

"Ready?" she asked, and he nodded. They walked down the stairs and were treated by the best possible outcome.

Natsu was awake. Natsu was _alive._

He was sitting on the ground where they left him, he had been talking to Porlyusica but as soon as he heard the noise he turned around.

"Happy? Lu-"

"Natsu," Happy exclaimed happily as he flew into his best friend's arms. Lucy followed behind him and then stopped.

"What's up Happy," Natsu said as he smiled and hugged his best friend back. He looked up at Lucy and for a moment the two of them stared at each other.

Then, she lifted her hand and slapped the back of his head.

"Ow! What was that for-" He was cut off by Lucy wrapping her arms around him.

"You idiot," she exclaimed. "Do you know how _worried_ we all were?" She felt tears rolling down her face.

"Aye! I thought you weren't going to wake up," Happy said.

"I'm sorry," Natsu told them. Feeling complete for a number of reasons.

"Sorry to break up this touching reunion, but how are you feeling?" Lucy let go of Natsu as soon as she heard Porlyusica's name.

 _Right, she's here too._ She thought as she felt bad about forgetting about the witch who had done so much for them.

She wiped a few stray tears off of her cheeks and Happy let go off Natsu as well. They all turned their attention to Porlyusica.

"How are you feeling?" the medical advisor asked.

Natsu grinned, "Feelin fine now! I'm all better and ready to fight Zeref!"

Lucy frowned, "But Natsu if you defeat Zeref, you'll-"

"Happy you told them," Natsu exclaimed.

Happy flew over and hid behind Lucy, "Sorry Natsu, but they really needed to know!" Natsu sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them a moment later, he was smiling again.

"Don't sweat it Lucy, I think that it'll turn out okay," he stated.

"How can you be so confident?"

"Well…" How was Natsu going to explain to her what happened to him? "See, there was something that I had to do inside my heart. I just had to come to the conclusion that I was human, and I did."

Lucy didn't exactly get the point that he was making.

"I don't know what to say," she said. He placed a hand on both of her shoulders.

"Just trust me," he said, and she smiled.

"I always have." For a moment, they just grinned at each other.

"Should we leave?" Porlyusica asked suddenly, breaking whatever was going on between the two of them. Lucy, realizing what was happening, moved away from Natsu with a start.

"No! No! What are you talking about?" she pressed as she turned bright red.

"They _love_ each other," Happy commented.

"Shut up Happy," Lucy yelled as she tried to hit the blue exceed.

"Ah! What happened to all we've been through together Lucy?" Happy cried.

Natsu, on the other hand, was undisturbed.

"Where's Erza and Gray?" he asked as he looked around.

"I'm not sure about Erza, but Gray is in the next room," Porlyusica told him.

"Then let's-" Suddenly, a bright light surrounded them.

"It's the same light as before," Happy said.

Lucy gasped, "Wait-" Before she could even finish her sentence, she, Natsu, and Happy were transported back to her bedroom. Lucy glanced around frantically.

Yep, everything was the same in here. She ran over to her window and looked out into a very familiar city.

Everything was the same out there, they were back in Magnolia for sure.

"This is perfect, ain't it?" Natsu asked and Lucy turned around from the window.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Now that we're back, we can head over to our favorite spot: Fairy Tail."

"Aye sir," Happy exclaimed. While Happy and Natsu were pumping each other up, Lucy heard a voice in her head.

" _Lucy? Lucy?"_

It sounded like Anna.

" _Anna?"_

" _Marvelous, you can hear me. I just wanted to tell you that I forgot to mention something about the potion."_

" _What is it?"_

" _The effects won't last more than twelve hours."_ Lucy was shocked and also wondered how Anna could have forgotten to tell her something like that.

" _That means that there's only one shot."_ She'll have to use it wisely.

" _That's correct, but I trust that you will know when to. Good luck!"_

"What? Wait!"

"Lucy?" She glanced up and saw that her friends were staring at her.

"Is something wrong?" Natsu asked.

Lucy frantically shook her head, "No nothing! Let's go."

Happy and Natsu looked at each other, shrugged, and followed her out the door.

The three of them made their way out of Lucy's apartment and onto the streets of Magnolia.

"I'm glad we're back but, where's everyone who was with us?" Lucy asked. "Carla, Porlyusica, Ever, and-"

"Us."

Recognizing the voice, Lucy spun around and saw Brandish standing there.

"Brandish! H...oh." Lucy's eyes fell to the tiny person struggling in Brandish's fist.

"Dimaria?" Lucy asked.

Natsu came up next to Lucy and leaned down. He examined Dimaria, while the woman flailed around in fear.

"Sorry about before. I don't remember much, but...I guess I got carried away," Natsu said. "You see, I thought Lucy was dead and that you killed her so-"

"Natsu, you're scaring the evil lady," Happy commented. "And she's already in a bad spot as it is."

Brandish nodded, "You're right blue cat, we'll take our leave now…" She turned around and started to walk away.

"Where will you go?" Lucy asked.

"After all that's happened, I'm not in the mood to be your enemy again," Brandish replied. "At the same time, I really have no intention of being your ally either."

Lucy nodded, "I see, well I hope we'll meet again sometime." She meant that, despite everything that has happened she liked to think that she and Brandish could be friends at some point.

Brandish scoffed, "You're such a pain."

"Well that was mean," Happy whispered.

Lucy shook her head, "No... I don't think it was."

"Natsu! Lucy! Happy!" Evergreen's voice rang out and the three teammates turned to see their guildmate hurrying towards them. She had Juvia on her back, with Porlyusica and Carla following close behind.

"I'm so glad you guys are okay," Lucy said.

"Same here," Evergreen replied. "But we haven't been able to find Gray anywhere."

"What do you mean?" Happy asked.

They told them that Gray had only woke up minutes before the flash of light.

"If he's up moving around, he must have a death wish," Porlyusica stated.

"Gray-"

The sound of rumbling suddenly encompassed the city of Magnolia.

"Where's that sound coming from?" Happy inquired, looking around frantically.

"Up there," Carla answered as she pointed towards the cathedral.

All eyes in Magnolia were brought to the top of the Kardia Cathedral as August made his presence known.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever. That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

Lucy adjusted her footing as she felt the ground shake.

It was like a giant earthquake was happening.

Houses were toppling left and right.

Rocks were bouncing up and down on the street.

"So, I am the only one of the 12 still fighting?"

The murderous look in his eyes.

That same look that he had when they met him before. Lucy frowned; this was bad.

"O, children of the Emperor! O Twelve, pride of the Empire! Prepare to offer your flesh and souls to His Majesty!"

Even though he was on top of the cathedral, his voice sounded like he was right next to them.

"For I, as a child of the Emperor," he continued. "Shall vanquish the enemy, even if it should cost your souls as well!"

 _Child of the Emperor?_ Lucy thought as her eyes widened. She didn't have any more time to think about it, because the second he finished a shining light appeared in the sky.

Like a meteorite, that shining light crashed into the church and brought it down to the ground. The street shook as a result of the impact but stopped eventually.

"What was that?" Lucy asked.

"Guildarts," Natsu answered, looking fairly calm for the situation that they were in.

"What?"

That's when she heard the sounds of cheering and a booming voice shouting to let them handle it.

She recognized that voice, it was indeed Guildarts Clive.

"Lucy, Happy come on," Natsu said. "We've gotta go."

"Where are we going?" Lucy asked.

"To find Gray," Natsu replied. "I know where he is, at least I'm sure I know where he is."

"Where do you think?" Happy pressed.

"The same place that Zeref is in right now," Natsu told them. "The guild hall."

"Then let's go right now!"

"Aye sir!"

Natsu grinned, he knew that they'd be on board to come with him.

Together the three of them ran off towards a building that stood for so much in their lives.

It was their home.

Where they were supposed to feel safe.

Now, that was compromised.

Thankfully, it didn't take them long to get to the Fairy Tail guild hall. Suddenly, a massive gust of icy fog shot out of the open front doors.

"No!"

Natsu launched right into the building, disappearing into the fog and out of sight for just a moment.

"Natsu," Lucy called.

"Stop it!"

When it cleared up Lucy saw Natsu on top of Gray, jamming the ice wizard's face into the floor and holding his arm behind his back. Lucy then looked up and saw the dark wizard Zeref standing in front of them with a smile on his face.

"Natsu..."

"How could you try this again?" Natsu pressed. "I stopped you from doing this last time right!"

"But I let myself get caught up in a surge of emotion," Gray yelled. "I tried to kill you! I tried to kill my friend! I can't stay in this guild after that!"

"I did the exact same thing," Natsu cried.

Natsu stood up and backed away with his hands over his face.

"Gray," he said before taking his hands off of his face, revealing the tears rolling down his cheeks. "You're still my friend, right?"

"...Sure, N-"

"Don't die! Just keep on living!"

As the scene unfolded in front of her, Lucy heard laughing and brought her eyes back to Zeref.

"What a beautiful display of Fairy Tail friendship," Zeref commented. "You are here just in time Natsu." The dark wizard's eyes met the Lucy's eyes and she felt a chill.

"You really look just like Anna," he said. "The Heartfilias truly do have very strong genes and you're with the exceed that interrupted our previous confrontation."

"Don't talk to them," Natsu shouted as he stepped in front of Lucy and Happy.

"But Natsu, I had an exhilarating conversation with Gray," Zeref said. "I think I have the right to-"

"No, you don't," Natsu sneered. The smile never left Zeref's face.

"Well, I guess you do have the right to hold on to your friends for as long as you can," he said. "Especially since you have such a _cruel_ destiny awaiting you. Win or lose-you die Natsu."

Lucy's eyes narrowed, it definitely seemed like Zeref was trying to egg Natsu on and of course the dragon slayer fell right into it.

"I ain't gonna die! I'll take your destiny and burn it to the ground!" As if to illustrate his point, fire surrounded the dragon slayer.

Natsu was ready to fight, but so was his brother.

Zeref chuckled, "Burn down destiny huh?" He took his cloak and through it off to the side.

"I am a person who has come to accept my destiny. Do you know why I did that?" Zeref asked.

"I don't care," Natsu replied dryly and Zeref told him anyway.

"Because I had no other choice," Zeref replied. "That's what destiny means." Natsu shot forward and threw a fiery punch that Zeref blocked. Then Natsu got the upper hand and slammed him into the ground.

Not wasting any time, Natsu threw another fiery punch. Zeref dodged it and landed a roundhouse kick that ended with Natsu flying into the wall.

 _Boom!_

"Natsu," Lucy called. She trusted him, but she couldn't help herself.

" _There are certain limitations that come with fighting with a blood relative. It doesn't directly correlate to power levels but sharing the same DNA with a strong opponent can give the weaker one an extra boost."_

Anna's words flowed into her memory.

Maybe that could help him? That and the fact that he was physically a demon created by Zeref still had to mean _something_ right?

"Just as I thought," Zeref said. "The power of Igneel has vanished. You can no longer defeat me." Natsu got to his feet.

"I still have my own power," he countered confidently.

Lucy gasped, that's when she felt it and judging by the looks in the room-she wasn't the only one.

"Irene bought me quite a lot of time," Zeref stated. "But that time seems to be up. I cannot afford to play with you any longer Natsu. For me, this is my final chance. Lay down your life for the sake of humanity."

Suddenly he materialized right in front of Natsu and punched him in the face. His hand was engulfed in black magic. Natsu hit him with right back.

The ferocity of their fight increased, to the point where it was terrifying to watch. It _was_ like they were just playing before.

Now...now only one brother was going to leave this fight alive.

"What do we do?" Happy asked.

"I... I don't know," Lucy replied, eyes trained on the fight as she felt glued to the spot, she was standing in.

" _Gray! Lucy! Happy!"_

A familiar light, airy voice appeared in her head and she looked at her other two friends.

"The first master," Happy said.

" _You're at the guild, right? You need to leave right now!"_

Gray stood up, "Huh?"

" _I'm almost to the guild! I need you to join up with me!"_

Lucy looked at Natsu, "But Natsu...we can't leave him." She didn't know what could happen. She didn't know what she could even do to help him right now.

It was just that...she didn't like the idea of not being there in case something happened.

" _Trust in Natsu! And in me!"_

"But…"

" _Natsu's fate depends on you!"_

"What does that mean?" Gray pressed.

"Natsu's fate," Lucy repeated as she glanced at Happy.

" _I'll explain in person! The enemy could be listening in on this telepathic transmission!_

"Let's go," Gray prompted them. "We'll just be in Natsu's way here."

"Aye," Happy agreed.

Lucy frowned, "Natsu…" Just then it was like every memory she shared with the pink haired dragon slayer flashed through her mind in one second.

"Don't you _dare_ lose this fight Natsu," she shouted. "If you do, I'll _never_ forgive you!"

She didn't know why she shouted like that and by the time she thought about her actions it was already done.

Usually, in times like this she would regret not thinking before speaking.

Now, however...she had no regrets.

Maybe she should say things without thinking more often.

For Natsu, it felt like the whole fight had gone in slow-motion as soon as he heard her say that.

Lucy's words were like a shot of energy. He sure couldn't disappoint her.

He grabbed Zeref's arm and flung him across the guild hall like a fire ball. The dark wizard slammed into the wall, shaking the guild hall.

Natsu grinned, "I'm all fired up now." He roared like the dragon that raised him.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever. That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

Natsu's POV

As he watched Zeref stagger towards him, Natsu stood at the ready. After hearing Lucy's words, he sensed the three of them leave the guild hall and he was thankful for it. He was worried about the difficulties that came with splitting his attention while in a fight.

The chances of him making a mistake were higher.

"This is so fun Natsu."

Natsu's eyes widened when he heard that. Fun? What the hell was he talking about?

"Unless I take you down, humanity has no future," he stated. "So tell me, how is this fun exactly?"

Zeref stood up straight, that same creepy smile plastered on his face.

"Perhaps this is part of my curse of contradiction," he answered. "I don't really understand how I feel."

Natsu frowned, there he goes talking about that curse again.

 _Why do I feel like he blames that on everything?_ he thought.

That's when Zeref started giggling, the sound seemed to echo throughout the now damaged hall.

"Anyway, brother, I'm enjoying this."

 **Brother.**

Before Natsu could reply, he suddenly felt very drowsy.

 _What the...hell?_

"Sleep."

Natsu didn't recognize the voice behind him, but when he turned around he saw a guy with spiky blond hair. His most striking feature was the large white cross symbol on his forehead.

He limped into the guild with bruises all over him.

"Larcade," Zeref said. The blonde guy's eyes lit up when he saw Zeref.

"Father," he exclaimed. "I made it just in time."

"Father?" Natsu asked. "Wait you have…." The pink haired wizard almost fell over before punching himself several times in the face.

He had to stay focused and win this. Lucy's words repeated in his mind.

" _Don't you dare lose this fight Natsu! If you do, I'll never forgive you!"_

Of course, he was keeping his head in the game for other reasons as well...like the humanity thing.

"Now this is your chance," Larcade declared. "Hurry! You can kill him now! Free yourself from the curse your brother holds! Let his white soul ascend to the heavens!"

Suddenly Zeref shot Larcade, a gasp and an earth-shattering boom were heard.

Natsu watched as the shocked wizard fell back, blood from his wound spurting out onto the floor.

"Do not interfere," Zeref proclaimed with a bone chilling gaze towards the wizard that called him "father" not too long before.

Natsu wanted to think that he was stunned by Zeref's cruelty but...this was something expected of The Dark Wizard.

Natsu still could not believe this was his brother.

Zeref walked over to Larcade and stepped right onto his wound. Larcade screamed in pain, tears rolling down his face.

"But...But...I'm your son," he stuttered.

"Tck, you are just a demon from the book of Zeref," Zeref sneered. "An experiment on the road to creating Natsu. You were the best-made of them, so I gave you the name of Dragneel. That's all."

Zeref took his foot off of Larcade.

"Even so, I-"

"You piece of crap," Zeref interjected as he kicked Larcade, more blood spurting onto the floor. "Interfering in my battle with Natsu! One that I was actually enjoying…"

That was it, Natsu couldn't stand by and watch this anymore.

"Stop this," he demanded. Zeref straighten back up and turned his attention back to his brother.

"Shall we continue Natsu?" Zeref asked, as if the shaking Larcade was nothing more than an afterthought.

"Father...it hurts...it hurts," Larcade said.

Zeref frowned, "Father?" Seeing where this was going Natsu tried to intervene again.

"He-"

"Stay out of this Natsu," Zeref yelled. "I want this to be a battle between you and me! Enough of these mindless interruptions!" He looked down at Larcade.

"As for you, I have no family," he said. " _No_ children! You are nothing but a demon spawned from a book that I wrote. Which means that since I created you, I can destroy you just like that."

With that, Zeref lifted his hand and a flash of purple light appeared.

"Father! Father! Fa-"

Larcade disintegrated just like that, nothing was left.

It was like he never even existed.

 _He...he killed him._

This was much further than Natsu had thought the situation was going to go and it infuriated him.

"Why? He was your ally," he shouted.

"He was neither an ally nor a son," Zeref replied. "You see, I-"

Before he could fully turn back around, Natsu hit him with a fiery punch that sent him flying back again.

"Yeah, you sure proved that," Natsu said.

Lucy's POV

"We've gotta keep going," Lucy shouted.

Despite the effects of massive magical power causing the ground to shake under them, Gray, Lucy, and Happy kept running through Magnolia.

They needed to find the first master.

They had heard her just a second ago, but then she went quiet again. They turned down another corner and the light caused by the massive amount of magic power stopped abruptly.

"There she is," Happy exclaimed. Hearing him, the first master turned around.

"Oh, thank goodness you three are here," Mavis said as she jogged towards them.

"What was that light just now?" Gray asked.

"It's alright," Mavis answered. "It seems to have stopped now. We're out of danger for the moment." For a second, Lucy thought about Natsu facing Zeref at the guild hall.

Then she shook her head, he's going to be fine.

"All of the others are fighting the small remnants of enemy forces in the small part of town," Mavis informed them as Lucy stepped forward a little.

"Uh first master, why did you have us come and meet you?" she asked.

"Ah yes," Mavis answered. "The reason is because when I escaped from Zeref, I made off with this."

She pulled out a large, beat up brown book. It had a single whole through the middle of it and the letters E.N.D. written on the cover.

Lucy's eyes widened when she saw it and it hit her that she was staring at…

"That's Natsu," Happy stated.

Mavis nodded, "So you do know about the book of E.N.D?"

"Some...what," Lucy said as Mavis shoved the book into her hands.

"Then it is up to you to save Natsu," Fairy Tail's first master declared.

"What? Wait...with this? How?" Lucy asked as she clutched the book in her hands.

"Use any means necessary," Mavis replied. "It won't be easy, but I know that you three will be able to do it."

"B-"

"I'm sorry you three, but I have to go," Mavis interjected. "But I'm counting on you to execute this part of the plan!" With that, the first master of Fairy Tail ran off.

Lucy looked down at the book in her hand and ran a hand over the letters E.N.D. It was much lighter than she expected it to be, light like Natsu.

His smile flashed in her mind.

Lucy could feel herself starting to shake and felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, we should find a place to sit for now," Gray told her.

Lucy took a deep breath, "Right...Right."

Thankfully, they found an area of Magnolia that didn't suffer too much damage from the fighting. The three Fairy Tail members found themselves sitting on a single, sturdy park bench that on a normal day-people would surely be relaxing on.

For a moment, they sat in complete silence, another phenomenon considering what they were in the middle of.

A breeze shook the leaves off of the tree above them. Lucy pulled the book closer to her and wrapped her arms around it.

This was Natsu.

This entire book was Natsu Dragneel.

His smile.

His words.

His love for food.

His love for his friends.

His love for Fairy Tail.

Natsu was supposed to be nothing more than a demon spawned from a book.

Lucy felt herself begin to shake, overwhelmed by feelings of sadness and frustration.

"Lucy?" Happy asked. "Are you okay?"

"H-hey what's the matter?" Gray pressed.

Lucy wiped away the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Natsu's whole life is in this book," she whispered. "I hate it! Natsu is just a normal boy! We know him! We've _always_ known him! He's more than some book!" Happy and Gray were silent as Lucy spoke.

Lucy took a deep breath and calmed herself down.

Seeing this, Happy asked, "Do you feel better now?"

Lucy nodded, "I do, thanks Happy." She smiled down at the exceed and then turned to Gray.

"You're not trying to destroy this book, anymore right?" she asked. She wrapped her arms around the book protectively.

"No, I'm not," he assured her. "I had no idea that it had anything to do with Natsu before." Hearing that, Lucy relaxed a bit.

"Hey, we should open the book," Happy suggested. "The first master said that it was up to us to save Natsu and if his whole life is in this book-"

"Then we need to open it," Gray finished.

Lucy nodded, "You guys are right."

She sat the book on her lap and gingerly opened it to the first page.

They weren't prepared for what came next.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever. That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

She sat the book down on her lap and gingerly opened it to the first page.

The Fairy Tail members were stunned as a blinding light emerged and several dark red letters began to spill out of it. The letters traveled in different intertwining circles, surrounding the three of them.

"There are so many of them," Happy cried as he watched the letters move around.

"I know," Gray said in disbelief. "Do you think that they're all really about Natsu?"

Lucy made sure to study each of the letters as they flew by. While she was doing that, an idea came to her.

"Guys I think t-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the impact of a sudden explosion through them off of the bench.

As a result, Lucy was completely disoriented as she sat up and rubbed her head. She still felt unsteady and closed her eyes in an attempt to ground herself.

When she opened her eyes, the first place her hands went was to the vial around her neck.

 _Good, it isn't broken._ She thought as she momentarily rolled the small vial between her fingers.

"Lucy, Happy, are you two alright?" Hearing Gray's voice, Lucy turned in that direction and saw her friend starting to sit up.

"Yeah," she told him as she looked around for Happy. She was relieved to see that her other friend was fine as well. In fact, he was already sitting up.

"Aye," Happy added.

Gray rubbed his head, "Jeez, that really hurt. Where did that come from?"

"I think it came from the guild," Happy guessed. Lucy looked off into the direction of the guild, slight worry sparked in her heart.

 _I hope everyone else is okay._ She thought.

Natsu's face appeared in her mind.

"Hey Lucy, what happened to all of those letters?" Happy asked, bringing her back to their current situation. Lucy didn't have to search around for the book, because she managed to keep it close to her when she landed on the ground. She picked up the book and examined it.

"I guess they went back in the book when I closed it," she concluded.

"Hey Lucy, weren't you going to say something before?" Gray inquired.

Lucy nodded, "That's right sorry, well it looks like this is really high-level organic link magic. Which means that, if I'm right, Zeref used that type of magic to link the book to Natsu." It was strong, she could tell and that didn't surprise her one bit. Zeref wasn't known as the most powerful dark wizard for nothing. Still, she had to figure out a way to disconnect Natsu from this E.N.D. book.

There had to be a way...

"Maybe if we rewrote the words…" At this point, the celestial wizard had managed to get caught up in her own head and began thinking out loud. This was the reason why she jumped when she heard Gray's voice.

"Rewrite? All of that?"

Happy frowned, "I don't understand." Lucy turned towards her guildmates, who were now sitting next to each other.

"Before, all we did was open one page and a torrent of words came out," Lucy stated. "And that was only a _fraction_ of what was there."

She went on to tell them that they did not have to rewrite the whole thing, they just needed to find the page that would save Natsu.

"We have to find it," Lucy decided. "I'm certain that is our part in this!" As she declared this to her friends, another idea came to mind. It was something that seemed like too much of a long shot at the moment, so she decided to keep it to herself until she was sure that it could work.

Lucy placed the book on the ground. She glanced up at Happy and Gray as the three of them surrounded the book.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Ready," Gray and Happy replied.

This time, Lucy opened the book to a random page. Like before, a blinding light emerged, and several dark red letters began to spill out of it. They watched as the letters traveled in intertwining circles and surrounded them just like before. Only this time, once they stopped moving, a few of the letters began to pop. The popping was constant, which gave Lucy a very bad feeling as she connected the dots.

"It's part of his body," Lucy realized. "This has to mean that he's hurt badly somewhere!"

Happy gasped, "No, Natsu!" Lucy pulled out a feather pen, she had to do this now.

"Wait, Lucy? Do you know where to rewrite it?" Gray asked, remembering their original plan of finding the part that they needed to rewrite to save Natsu.

Lucy shook her head, "No. Not yet. I'll just rewrite the missing letters for the whole thing."

"Are you sure?" Gray pressed.

"We don't have any other choice." Lucy told him. "Don't worry, I remember them all." She began to write the letters in the empty spaces, leaving glowing gold letters behind.

But….

Lucy felt her entire body abruptly freeze up. Red marks began to appear all over the right side of her body as she was holding the pen in her right hand.

Lucy's eyes widened as she felt a shot of heat spread throughout her body. It built up fast and soon enough it felt like someone had lit a fire inside of her. Lucy screamed and shuddered violently; it was agonizing.

She doubled over in pain and tried to take deep breaths. She could feel the sweat dripping off of her.

 _This is nothing._ She thought. _You've been through worse! You've been through worse!_

She tried her hardest to encourage herself, but it didn't stop the tears from falling.

"Stay strong!"

"Lucy!"

She could hear her friend's voices and tried to focus on them in order to push through the pain.

Then she felt a gush of icy air on her back and for a second she could feel herself cooling down.

"You're burning up," Gray commented. Lucy nodded and pushed herself to raise her head.

"I feel hot...like something is burning inside of me," she stated.

"Natsu's fire?" Happy asked.

"The flame of the demon?" Gray inquired.

"Lucy, I don't like this," Happy said.

"But this could be another clue," Lucy pointed out. "If I can understand this magic then I can he-"

Suddenly, Lucy felt an even more intense burning sensation and her body temperature rose back up quickly. Lucy bent down and put her hand on her forehead.

She was desperate, desperate for water or a fan. She just needed something cool or else she was going to lose consciousness.

Happy came in front of her, a worried expression on his face.

"Lucy-"

"Happy I'm fine!" She hadn't meant to yell at him, but she was just so overwhelmed.

 _Someone…_

Another gust of icy wind shot through the area.

In normal circumstances, Lucy would be shivering and running home to find her warmest jacket.

However, in this case, it was just what Lucy needed.

"We're going to save Natsu together," Gray proclaimed. Lucy looked up at him and the two of them smiled at each other.

"Thank you Gray," she said, grateful that he was here along with Happy.

They enacted a plan where Lucy would rewrite a few letters at a time and Gray would cool her down before the burning got too unbearable like before.

The success of this plan was the catalyst to the hope Lucy had that her other idea could work as well.

She pulled on the vial around her neck and the chain broke.

"Lucy, are you going to use it now?" Happy asked with a surprised look on his face.

"Wait? Use what?" Gray pressed.

"It's a long story," Lucy said as she opened the vial. "Just know that someone told me that this will help Natsu, someone who knows what they're doing."

Well, at least she hoped that Anna knew what she was doing.

Lucy's plan was to take the vial, dip the tip of the pen into it, and write the rest of the letters with the vial written into it. At this point, she only had one shot and if they didn't fight Acnologia within twelve hours…

She shook her head; no she couldn't think like that.

She shuddered as she felt the burning heat intensify and Gray let a gust of icy air flow around her. Lucy dipped the tip of the pen into the vial and wrote in the letters like she had before. This time, the letters were a glowing blue instead of gold.

"Wow," Happy said.

Lucy kept going, she kept pushing herself, until the letters started to go back in.

"Does that mean that you're done?" Gray inquired. Lucy let out a long breath as she watched all of the red, gold, and blue letters go back in. She closed the book after the last one went in.

"I-I think that I've done everything...I can," Lucy stated. "I wrote in everything we...could remember about him. Who _we_ know Natsu is." Her entire body was exhausted, and that burning pain was still there-only much fainter than it was before. She looked down at her hand, the ugly red marks were still there.

Happy nodded, "He's no demon."

"Right," Lucy agreed, still trying to catch her breath.

"So are you guys going to tell me about what was in this?" Gray asked as he held up the empty vial.

"Y-you...see." Lucy felt her body become incredibly heavy and she proceeded to fall over. The burning pain intensified, and Lucy let out a blood-curdling scream.

It was so painful that she truly felt like she couldn't stay conscious for long, she did hear Gray say that his demon slayer power was made for a time like this. A moment later, she felt like a lightning bolt had shot through her and then...relief.

The pain ceased just like that.

"The marks on your body have gone away," Happy pointed out. Lucy looked down and saw that the red marks were indeed gone. She sighed and turned to her guildmate.

"Thanks Gray."

He nodded, "No problem."

"Guys! Look," Happy exclaimed. Lucy gasped as she saw the E.N.D. book disappear. That meant that Zeref had been defeated but, it also meant that…

"When the book disappears, Natsu will too," Happy recounted and he began to cry. Watching her friend's reaction, Lucy couldn't help but start to cry herself.

This couldn't be happening, after all that they...had failed?

They couldn't save him.

Happy flew over to Lucy, who wrapped her arms around the exceed. That caused him to cry harder as she rubbed his back.

Zeref had been defeated, but they lost Natsu. A horrible feeling of emptiness seemed to overcome Lucy, one akin to when she lost her parents.

What were they going to do now?

"Yo!"

Hearing that very familiar voice, Lucy froze. Seeing Gray's reaction, she turned around and was at a loss for words.

Happy flew right out of Lucy's arms and into the arms of his best friend.

"Natsu! You're alive," Happy cheered.

"Of course I am," Natsu stated. "You really thought I would die Happy?" The only made the exceed cry louder and hug his face even harder.

"Ugh Happy! Happy!"

Lucy couldn't help but laugh at the scene in front of her.

"That's our Natsu for you," she said.

"Ain't that the truth," Gray agreed as the two of them stood up and greeted their friend.

"So Zeref is…"

"Yeah," Natsu confirmed. "But I don't think the first master made it." That stunned the three of them.

Seeing their faces, Natsu said, "You know...I don't think that she would want us to be too upset about it though. I'm not sure how I know this, but I'm pretty sure that the first master wanted it to end this way."

"So it's over?" Happy asked, tears still running down his face.

"It's all over," Natsu assured him. "So let's return to the guild with smiles on our faces!"

Lucy smiled, but wanted to kick herself on the inside. She had wasted that vial thinking that they could possibly be facing Acnologia soon in addition to Zeref. For all they knew, they may not meet up with Acnologia again until years from now. She could've saved it.

 _Lucy, you are such an idiot!_ She thought.

She started walking back to the guild with her friends, but soon paused as she felt a violent go through her.

Was there still a demon in her? From the book? There couldn't be, Gray had removed all of it right?

 _Lucy._

She was hearing Anna's voice again, only this time it sounded a little more distant. She shivered as she felt a cool breeze flow through her.

 _It's not over._

Her vision began to get hazy and her body felt heavy again. She could feel herself falling and felt strong arms catch her. She was looking up at Natsu's panicked face.

"Lucy? Hey Lucy!"

"Lucy, what's wrong?"

"Lucy!"

She wanted to answer them, but for some reason they seemed so far away.

 _Lucy, it's not over._

That was the last thing she heard before her vision went black.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever. That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

Lucy found herself standing in a loud, crowded town square.

She blinked a few times before looking around frantically.

Where was she?

Why aren't these people acting like there is a war going on?

Everyone was just minding their own business under the gaze of a bright summer sun.

"Hey do…"

"Excuse me can I…."

"Where are…."

"Excuse me, could you…"

Lucy tried to stop people and ask them for help. The thing is, they all seemed to be ignoring her.

No that's not right.

It seemed like they couldn't hear her.

"Am I in some sort of dream?" Lucy asked. She pinched herself in an attempt to wake herself up. She could not afford to be sleeping right now.

"Sort of." Recognizing the voice, Lucy turned around and saw her mother standing in front of her.

"Mom?" she asked unable to stop her voice from cracking a bit. Then, Lucy ran over to her mother and wrapped her arms around her. She felt warm, she felt so real. Layla Heartfilia looked just as Lucy remembered her. She was wearing her favorite pink dress and had her long blonde hair in a bun.

When Lucy pulled away, Layla lifted one of her hands and wiped the tears from her daughter's face. Lucy took a deep breath.

"I miss you so much," she stated and her mother smiled at her.

"And I miss you," she replied. "You have grown into such a beautiful young woman." Lucy smiled and then a thought occurred to her.

"Mom, am I dead?" she asked.

Layla shook her head, "No, you are not." For a moment, a wave of relief flowed through Lucy.

"Then how are you here?" she inquired. Her mother seemed so real.

"Let's just say that the mind is a very powerful thing," Layla answered. "As is the connection between celestial wizards in our family, living or dead."

Lucy took in what she was saying and frowned. She was a little confused by that answer.

"So you're a physical manifestation of my mental connection to you?" Lucy inquired.

"Exactly," Layla replied.

"Okay, but then where are we right now then?" Lucy asked gesturing to their surroundings.

"Lucy, right now you are standing in one of your memories," Layla replied. "You were only a child at this point, visiting a town called Sorrel with your nanny and I. It was right before I truly fell ill after the Eclipse Gate event that I know that you now know about."

"But I don't remember anything about Sorrel," Lucy countered. "How can I not remember going some place with you?" Layla frowned and her eyes grew sad.

"Follow me, let us see the memory and then I will gladly answer your questions," Layla stated. Lucy followed her Mom, driven by her need to know what's going on.

Side by side, they walked through the town and ended up stepping onto a beach. Lucy glanced around, apparently there weren't too many people on the beach that day

Her eyes landed on a blonde haired young girl kicking a red ball back and forth with a little boy.

"There you are," Layla informed her and the two of them approached the scene.

Once she was closer, Lucy could confirm for herself that the little girl was her. She didn't recognize the brown-haired boy she was playing with.

The boy kicked a little too hard and the ball flew down the beach.

The boy was shocked, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do that!"

"It's okay," Young Lucy exclaimed. "I'll just go get it."

"Let us follow," Layla said and the two of them followed young Lucy down the beach. They witnessed her face change when the ball came right to a young boy with tan skin and pink hair. They watched young Lucy's eyes widened when she saw that he was wearing just a white scarf and brown shorts.

 _Natsu._ Lucy thought as she watched the scene unfold. _No way._

They met each other before Hargeon?

The two of them stared at each other before they both looked at the ball.

"That's mine," young Lucy whispered and young Natsu glanced down at the ball. He then kicked the red ball towards young Lucy, who stopped it.

Wordlessly, young Natsu turned to watch the ocean. Young Lucy stood there watching for a moment, but kicking the ball back to young Natsu.

He looked down as soon as he felt it hit him.

Young Natsu kicked it back to young Lucy and vice versa. After a few minutes, it looked like they were having fun. These kids didn't even know each other's names, but they had a blast just playing together.

Lucy's heart couldn't help but warm at the sight.

"I can't believe it," Lucy commented. When she turned to her mother, she noticed the sad look on her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked her. "What happened?" Before she could answer, someone screamed Lucy's name from across the beach. Lucy and Layla turned to see Layla and Lucy's nanny running towards the children.

Lucy's nanny reached her first and pulled young Lucy away from Natsu. Layla, on the other hand, had stopped running as her eyes widened.

"I had never seen the young dragon slayers in person," Layla explained. "But, something told me that the boy was one of them."

Frightened, a young Natsu ran away from the scene.

"Wait," Young Lucy called.

"Miss Lucy," Her nanny stopped her for calling after the pink haired boy.

"Lucy, sweetheart, just let him go," Layla added. Young Lucy turned to her mother.

"But why?" she asked.

The memory froze there.

There was a moment of silence as both Heartfilias stared at the frozen memory. Finally, Layla broke the silence.

"After what happened that day, for some reason I was just overcome with terror that you may be involved in what was going on," Layla explained. "I opened the Eclipse Gate in order to keep you safe and happy. I thought that, since Natsu had seen you he might follow you around. If he did then-"

"Whatever trouble he got in would follow me," Lucy finished.

"Yes," Layla confirmed. "So the next day I talked to your father and we made the decision to contact someone to distort your memory." Lucy crossed her arms over her chest.

"How did you do it?" she asked.

"Using a potion," Layla replied. "Your nanny told you that it was medicine for the allergies you used to get as a child."

"Look, I understand why you did it," Lucy said. "Maybe if I had heard this a few months ago I would've been mad but...this memory. I didn't even know his name, this memory was...insignificant."

"No it was not Lucy," Layla stated. "It was fate and I realized that late in my life. As I laid in my bed, I replayed what I saw in my head. Two children, connecting just by kicking a ball back and forth. It was a special moment and I...had a feeling that you were going to meet him again regardless of any trials you went through."

"Mom, why am I here? Why am I seeing this?" Lucy asked. Layla came over and took Lucy's hands into hers.

"To prepare you," Layla replied. "I know that at this moment, you are going through a lot and unfortunately you will go through much more in the future. I wanted to give this back to you in order to reaffirm your belief in fate. Lucy, I want you to understand that if you are meant to be with someone, nothing in this world will be able to stop that connection."

Lucy's mouth dropped as she let go of her Mom's hands and jumped backwards.

"Mom! What kind of relationship do you think Natsu and I have?" Lucy questioned. Her mom closed her eyes and smiled.

"Okay, I will not push the subject," Layla stated. "Just remember that, okay sweetheart?"

Lucy nodded, "I will."

Lucy gasped, remembering something else.

"Mom, I remember hearing Anna's voice before I passed out. She said something like: _Lucy, it's not over_. I'm seeing you now, but do you know why I heard her?" Lucy asked.

"Honestly Lucy, the only answer that I could think of is the strength of our family's mental connection. All those in the Heartfilia family who practice magic can contact each other if need be, living or dead," Layla responded.

"So then they must have been two different messages then," Lucy concluded. "There was no connection between them at all."

"That is not entirely true," Layla answered. Before Lucy could ask her mother what she meant, she noticed that she was starting to fade away. She looked around and saw that the memory was starting to fade as well.

"I love you Lucy," Layla said. "Remember what I showed you and told you. If you are meant to be with someone, nothing in this world will be able to stop that connection. Do not be afraid sweetheart."

"Wait what?" Lucy asked the memory really started disappearing and her vision was starting to get blurry. "Mom!"

Just like before, Lucy's vision went black.

Lucy gasped as she struggled to catch her breath as she opened her eyes to a white ceiling. She could feel a soft bed underneath her.

"Lucy!" Happy came into view. "Calm down Lucy! You're okay! You're okay!" Lucy took several deep breaths and soon enough her heart began to return back to its normal rhythm. When she steadied herself, she sat up slowly. Happy was watching her every move like a diligent caretaker.

"How long have I been out?" she asked the exceed.

"A little over half an hour," Happy replied. "We brought you back to the guild as fast as we could and Natsu put you here in the infirmary."

"Is she okay?"

Lucy turned to the door when she heard another voice and saw Mirajane Strauss standing in the doorway.

"I'm fine Mira," Lucy assured her.

"Good," Mira answered. Lucy noticed a sadness in Mira's eyes and then glanced at Happy.

"What happened?" she asked as she turned back to Mira. "What happened?"

Mira took a deep breath, "Master...didn't make it." That took Lucy's breath away.

"What?"

Master Makarov was dead.

"But...how?" Lucy whispered.

"He used Fairy Law," Mira answered. A tear rolled down Lucy's cheek. Makarov had probably used Fairy Law to protect them all, but his loss was still a huge blow to the guild.

Lucy felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up at Mira.

"Master wouldn't want us to be too upset, he'd want us to celebrate his life and helped the guild to move forward," Mira replied. "He wanted Fairy Tail to continue for years to come.

Happy nodded, "You're right Mira."

"Yeah," Lucy agreed. "So everyone knows then? Natsu?"

Mira and Happy looked at each other.

"What? What's going on?" Lucy pressed. Then she remembered Natsu's worried face looming over her before she passed out.

She looked around the room, no one else was in there but the three of them.

"Where's Natsu?" Lucy asked. Happy was the one to answer first.

"Well...Lucy, Natsu…" Happy drifted off.

"Natsu and the other dragon slayers are gone," Mira finished.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever. That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

Lucy's mouth dropped, "Gone? What do you mean by _gone_?"

"Well...uh...they disappeared," Happy replied, wearing a look of worry.

"Disappeared!?"

Lucy was panicked, this was all too much information at once. It was like her brain couldn't process it all.

"Lucy! Lucy! Calm down," Mira advised her. Lucy felt like her heart was beating a mile a minute.

"I. don't. think. I. can," Lucy replied breathlessly.

Why did her voice sound so far away all of a sudden?

"Lucy, just close your eyes and take a few deep breaths," Mira instructed. Lucy nodded and followed her instructions.

Her vision went black and she inhale deeply.

Then she exhaled.

Inhaled.

Exhaled.

Inhaled.

Exhaled.

That was when her mother's soft voice flowed into her mind.

" _Lucy, I want you to understand that if you are meant to be with someone, nothing in this world will be able to stop that."_

Those words hit harder now than they did before and Lucy experienced a calmness that spread throughout her body.

For some reason, that sense of peace caused a single tear to roll down her cheek as she opened her eyes.

She saw the looks of her worried friends and every event that she had experienced in the short time came back to her.

She thought about everyone from Brandish to Master Makarov.

Master Makarov...what were they going to do without him?

Natsu's smiling face appeared to her and she couldn't help but smile in return.

"Lucy?" Happy asked with wide eyes.

"Lucy, how do you feel now?" Mira asked.

"I feel...a kind of peace," Lucy explained. "Like, in the end, it's all going to be okay."

Mira gave her a small smile, "That's right, everything is going to be okay in the end."

"We're still going to help Natsu and the others right?" Happy inquired.

Lucy nodded, "Of course, no one is going to get left behind."

 _ **(Natsu's POV)**_

After feeling himself land on a hard, cold surface, Natsu blinked a few times in an attempt to get his bearings. When he felt like he was finally able to focus, Natsu opened his eyes and saw a weirdly colored sky above him.

This was definitely not the clear blue, sky he had seen over Magnolia.

This sky was a mixture of greens, blacks, and dark blues.

There were beams of light shooting across the sky.

 _Shooting stars?_

The fire dragon slayer sat up, looked around, and saw that he was surrounded by crystals.

Natsu staggered to his feet, "Where am I?"

He felt his presence before hearing his voice.

"The space between time."

A horrible feeling began to simmer in Natsu's heart as he was briefly transported to the worst moment of his life:

The day his Dad died.

Natsu turned around and faced the source of the voice.

"This is my world."

A man with long dark blue hair and matching blue markings stood in front of him. He was wearing a ratty black cloak and baggy pants. His eyes not only held a certain sinisterness, but a regalness as well.

No matter what, the real king of the dragons will always be Igneel in Natsu's mind.

The man narrowed his eyes, "Judging by your reaction, you know _exactly_ who I am."

Natsu glared at him, "Acnologia."

Acnologia smirked, "Welcome Natsu, you are the last."

"What the hell do you mean?" Natsu pressed.

Suddenly, Acnologia revealed several crystals. Something was different about these particular crystals though, under further inspection Natsu saw that they each held the body of a dragon slayer.

He saw Wendy, Gajeel, Sting, Rogue, Laxus, and Cobra.

"Let them go," Natsu demanded fueled with anger at seeing his friends in danger.

"Now why would I do that son of Igneel? You see, I have gained space-time magic from the space between time," Acnologia explained. "In order to achieve my goal of destroying the world, I need to slay the final dragons."

Natsu felt his body jolt as a bolt of electricity shot through his body. At that moment, it seemed like his body was heavier than normal. When Natsu looked down, he saw that crystals were expanding around his legs and growing fast.

"Like your friends, you will be a permanent fixture here," Acnologia sneered.

Natsu shook his head.

 _No way, there was no way that he was going down like this!_

"Damn it," Natsu exclaimed. He couldn't get any fire through. He couldn't melt the crystals. In fact, it was almost like his power was being drained out of him.

 _Come on! Come on! Come on!_

That's when Natsu felt a gush of power flowing through his veins, power that...almost seemed like it wasn't entirely his own….

Nonetheless, the crystals surrounding him shattered abruptly.

With this new power, the fire dragon slayer also shattered the crystals surrounding his fellow dragon slayers.

"Are you guys alright?" Natsu called as he watched them wake up.

"I'm fine," Wendy replied. "Just a little sleepy."

"Well I'm peachy," Gajeel answered before turning to Acnologia. "And you're going to pay for trying to steal my power!"

The dragon slayer didn't react to the threat made towards him. In fact, he just stood there watching the whole reaction with a curious expression on his face.

"I'm with you Gajeel," Sting agreed.

"Me too," Rogue said.

"I guess I am too," Cobra continued.

"You guess?" Gajeel asked and Cobra rolled his eyes.

"Thanks Natsu," a deep voice said and Natsu turned around to see Laxus standing behind him. "Now let's kill this guy."

"Yeah," Natsu agreed and the attention was turned back to Acnologia. He simply smiled in response.

"I see" Acnologia stated. "I must teach you all why they call me the Dragon King!"

 _ **(Lucy's POV)**_

There was no one word to describe the mood in the Fairy Tail guild hall. You had to use multiple words to describe every feeling in the room.

Despair

Confusion

Anxiety

Relief

Worry

Master Makarov's body had been taken to the infirmary in Porlyusica's home. Erza and Mest were the final ones to return to the guild hall and now they had every person in the guild hall gathered in front of the stage.

"Alright," Erza shouted. "We've got to pull it together. It's not over, master wouldn't want us to give up right now. Not when our comrades are in trouble!"

"But what are we supposed to do?" Evergreen asked. "How are we supposed to help them?" The hall erupted in murmurs, everyone was asking the same question as well. Lucy stood at the front of the crowd holding Happy.

"Everyone please listen up," Mest called.

The murmurs continued like Mest hadn't said anything at all. For some reason, that grated on Lucy's nerves.

"Everyone shut up," she shouted and the whole guild hall went silent.

 _Why did I just do that?_

She timidly turned around and said, "Just listen…please?" She quickly turned back around to the front.

Erza gave her a nod of approval, "Thank you Lucy."

Mest and Erza began explaining that none of the dragon slayers are dead. They said that they were just caught in the space between time.

"The spirit of Acnologia is there as well," Erza stated.

"And according to Midnight, his flesh is heading this way as well," Mest added grimly.

The hall erupted once again in murmurs, only this time, everyone was processing what they had just been told.

"Wait! Wait! Wait," Gray exclaimed. "So all they have to do is take down that spirit guy?"

"Basically," Juvia replied.

"If Laxus is with em, then it'll be no problem," Bickslow stated confidently.

"Look I have complete faith in Laxus's abilities as well," Freed said. "But this is _Acnologia._ "

"Plus, we don't know what condition they are in," Evergreen pointed out. "Honestly, we don't even know if they're alive!"

"Evergreen!"

"What? It _is_ a possibility."

"Erza!" Kagura made her way to the front of the room and a few feet away from Lucy.

"In other words, the world is doomed right?" she asked.

"You think that's true," Happy whispered to Lucy and Lucy looked down at the exceed in her arms.

"No I don't think so," Lucy responded. "There has to be a-" Lucy paused, an idea popping into her head.

"What's up Lucy?" Happy asked.

"I have an idea," Lucy replied. Happy flew out of Lucy's arms as she climbed up onto the stage with Erza and Mest.

"Everyone please listen up," Lucy shouted and the entire hall fell silent once again.

 _Wow, is my voice really that commanding?_

This was not a time to think about that.

"Look, I have a plan. We need to-"

Lucy was cut off by what felt like an earthquake. It was made worse by the sounds of explosions nearby.

This was bad.

That's when everything hit the fan and people started freaking out.

"Lucy!" Cana's voice cut through all of the noise. "What was your plan?"

"Right, Right," Lucy said as she tried to focus. "Listen everyone, I need you all to head to the Hargeon harbor, find the biggest boat you can, and get ready to sail!"

"Boat!"

"A boat?"

"Wait what?"

"Why…"

"Oh that's right!"

"Motion sickness," Carla concluded. "The dragon slayer's weakness."

"Exactly," Lucy said as the ground shook from another explosion. They sounded like they were getting closer now. "You see, I want to use a magic so strong that not even Acnologia will be able to overcome it!"

Cana gasped, "The first master's…."

"You want to use Fairy sphere?" Levy guessed. "One of the three great magics of Fairy Tail?"

"That's correct," Lucy confirmed.

"But that magic is just defensive," Erza stated.

"Yeah I understand that," Lucy said. "But I want to put Acnologia _inside_ Fairy Sphere."

"You want to seal him?" Cana asked. "Is that even possible?"

"I don't know," Lucy said. "But it's worth a shot. We've got to try something."

Everyone in the room agreed to go with Lucy's plan just as the entire front half of the Fairy Tail guild hall exploded. EE


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever. That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 _ **(Natsu's POV)**_

It all happened in a split second.

The second that Acnologia finished his sentence, the dragon slayers jumped into action. All of them knowing that it was better to make the first move.

Plus, they were all itching to destroy this monster once and for all.

Natsu glanced over at Wendy and she nodded.

"Let's go," Natsu exclaimed and everyone started towards their target.

"Boost all physical statistics enchant! Deu Equis," Wendy shouted. At that moment, her fellow dragon slayers felt their power levels rising exponentially. The only ones who had experienced this once before were Gajeel and Natsu.

The others were feeling this phenomenon for the first time.

"Whoa! This is amazing," Sting commented.

"I'm full of power," Rogue agreed.

"Hell yeah," Gajeel exclaimed. "Don't underestimate our pipsqueak!" Natsu wasn't surprised when he saw the iron dragon slayer jump ahead to the front.

"Iron Dragon Sword!"

Gajeel's sword shot out straight towards Acnologia's heart, but suddenly stopped short. The impact was so great that Gajeel was thrown backwards violently.

It was not going to be easy to defeat Acnologia.

Sting and Rogue propelled forward, ready to attack.

Acnologia shot them backwards with one lift of his hand.

They hadn't even gotten to use their powers.

Natsu, Cobra, and Laxus made up the next wave of attack.

Laxus and Cobra propelled forward while Natsu brought up the rear.

"Poison dragon…"

"Lightning dragon…"

"Fire dragon…"

Like the others, the lightning dragon slayer and poison dragon slayer were thrown backwards. Natsu's flame extinguished as he watched his comrades end up just like the others.

"Laxus! Cobra!"

"Natsu watch out!"

Wendy's warning came just in time. As soon as Natsu turned back around, he was hit by Acnologia's attack. He managed to block it, but was pushed back by the sheer strength of it. Once it stopped, he felt like he had been hit by a train-but he couldn't show it.

He looked up as Acnologia tilted his head and gave the fire dragon slayer a strange look.

"As you all can see, when it comes to strength I am number one," he announced. "Then, it could be that you all are making this _way_ too easy. Come on, let us have some more fun here."

He snapped his fingers and another attack shot out at Natsu. Once again, the fire dragon slayer only had enough time to block it. Acnologia kept attacking Natsu over and over again. Each time, his attack increased in power until finally Natsu got knocked off of his feet and felt a pain like he had never felt before.

It seemed as though his entire body had shattered, but something...something inside him was keeping him together.

Everyone else jumped into action after witnessing the brutality, but Acnologia just effortlessly blocked all of their attacks.

"Magic does not work on me," he shouted gleefully as he kicked Laxus while he was down. It was a shock for the others, Laxus was one of the most powerful Fairy Tail members.

Natsu staggered to his feet as his comrades were reeling from Acnologia's attacks.

Natsu was relieved, because nothing felt like it was broken. At the same time, that didn't stop his whole body from hurting like hell.

He had to fight through it.

 _Come on! Come on! I can't go down like this,_ _ **we**_ _can't go down like this!_

"Every single one of your comrades were attacked with the same amount of power that I used on you," Acnologia sneered as he stared down at the fire dragon slayer. "In fact, I made sure to tear you down in particular, because I had a theory."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Natsu asked.

Natsu was pulled towards Acnologia at that moment. The dragon slayer then lifted Natsu up by his neck.

Acnologia smirked, "You really do not know do you? Ha, I cannot believe she thought that would work." He dropped Natsu and the Fairy Tail member fell onto the ground. Acnologia then came over and kneeled next to him. "Stay awake, I know you can."

Natsu could feel the salty taste of blood in his mouth as he opened his eyes.

"You do not feel like something unnatural is inside of you? A part of you that is somehow diminishing my attacks, just _enough_ to keep you standing," Acnologia said. "I can only think of one reason and it all ties back to Anna Heartfilia."

That name struck a chord in Natsu, he knew it so well.

 _Lucy._

"I cannot believe she went this far to foil my plans," Acnologia sneered as he stood up. "That woman is a damn dragon lover, I should have killed her all those years ago. No, I should have killed the boy all those years ago. I would not have to deal with the fact that the girl is still walking around. Then again, she will be dead in no time."

Natsu had managed to sit himself up as he listened to what Acnologia was saying. He was relieved to see that his comrades were still alive as well and starting to get up themselves.

"All you do is talk about killing," Natsu commented. "Dragons...People…"

Acnologia looked down at Natsu, "I am not just talking about killing _anyone_. You see, I have spent years wandering around cementing my reputation as a powerful dragon slayer. I found that when I killed dragons, even ones that were dragon slayers, I became more powerful. A few days after one of my ...excursions...I went searching for food in a forest and came across a young boy. He surprised me and I do not know how I missed him being there. His back was to me initially, but he turned around when he heard the noise."

"I knew who he was the moment I saw him, he had my eyes. Those dark black spheres that carry a gaze filled with nothing but anger and anguish," Acnologia continued. "This boy...his eyes were fearful as they should have been. Despite that, he did not run away. As we stared at each other, my rage grew. I was angry at what that boy represented, I was angry at Anna for her naivety. I never exhibited my anger to the boy, I could not kill him."

Acnologia went on to say that he asked the boy what his name was and he said his name was Max.

"And then I walked away," Acnologia stated. "That boy was my son with Anna."

He looked at Natsu before looking out at Natsu's comrades.

"Years later, that boy would grow up to continue a line that would eventually lead up to Lucy Heartfilia," Acnologia said.

Natsu's eyes widened, there's no way that he could be saying…

"That is right," Acnologia said with a wicked smile. "Lucy Heartfilia would not exist without me."

Natsu was stunned as every single memory of Lucy played through his mind. He had to be lying, someone so good could not have come from someone so evil.

"You're lying!" Wendy spoke up, clearly awake and still ready for a fight. Her statement caused Natsu to remember that he wasn't the only one hearing this.

"Now why would I lie about something like that?" Acnologia asked. "There are many ways to mess with your head, ways that would not have required me to tell any sort of story. The son of Igneel brought it up with his ability to withstand my attacks more than the rest of you."

Acnologia kneeled down to look Natsu in the eyes.

"I _know_ that you are not related to me," Acnologia stated. "That means that Anna Heartfilia gave you a potion that caused you to possess the same DNA as me...to boost your resistance against me."

Potion?

Natsu didn't remember taking any potion and he didn't remember ever crossing paths with an Anna Heartfilia at all.

Still, he had felt it, that unknown power inside of him. This would be the most sensible answer to that question.

"Too bad it will not last very long," Acnologia stated before snapping his fingers and slamming all of them into the ground.

It was like an imaginary weight was pushing them down further and further.

"It is nice to know that right now that I am in your world killing all of your comrades," Acnologia as he increased the weight. Hearing and seeing them struggle amused him. Their deaths were going to be prolonged and brutal.

It was no fun killing people right off the bat, well he should say that it was no fun killing _dragon slayers_ right off the bat.

"I will correct my mistakes from long ago," Acnologia stated. "Killing Lucy Heartfilia will end a line that has been a thorn in my spine for a long time."

Something inside Natsu broke and suddenly he was seeing images of Lucy dying right before his eyes. Screaming, blood, and her broken body haunted him.

Like last time, this was the trigger.

Natsu started feeling like he was burning from the inside out.

He recognized this feeling, he had felt it when he had found Lucy in that dungeon. It was happening, that part of himself was taking over.

Natsu burst through the weight of Acnologia's magic and subsequently the weight under the other dragon ceased as well.

Natsu tried to remain completely in control of his own mind as scales appeared on his skin and claws grew out of his fingers.

It was not done yet, E.N.D could go further.

Natsu turned around to his friends, who were looking at him-stunned.

"Give me more time," he shouted. "Give me more time!" Natsu let out a yell as the fire was taking over him.

Gajeel was the first one to snap out of it and he grinned.

"Alright Salamander, I'll trust you this time," he exclaimed before running towards Acnologia.

That seemed to set the others off as they processed the unspoken plan. Each one ran towards Acnologia, with no fear.

That's right, Natsu only needed a minute. The power was flowing through him, power that was nothing like he was used to.

It wouldn't be long before E.N.D. was in control.

 _ **(Lucy's POV)**_

They had to work fast.

Lucy, Freed, Levy, and the exceeds went to the Fairy Tail library to search for a book that would help them in their goal of casting Fairy Sphere.

Thankfully the library was still standing with minor damage, the same thing could not be said for half the guild hall though.

"I found it," Lucy exclaimed as she climbed over a bookcase that had fallen over.

"Great job Lu," Levy replied.

"Good work," Freed agreed.

Lucy glanced down at the book in her hand, this was it. This book was going to provide them with a way to cast Fairy Sphere.

"Let's get to Hargeon," she declared.

"Right!"

With the help of the exceeds, the three of them departed Magnolia and headed towards Hargeon. They were flying at max speed, so they got there in no time.

"Lucy," Levy called. "We're going to start creating the super-sized jutsu shiki, the rest is up to you!"

Lucy nodded, "Got it, good luck guys!"

"You as well," Freed said.

"You can do it," Carla assured them.

"And you Happy," Pantherlily added.

"Aye!"

The four of them turned in another direction.

Lucy couldn't help but feel a bit of nostalgia as they flew through Hargeon.

"Happy do you remember?" she asked. "Hargeon is where I first met you and Natsu."

"Of course I remember," Happy exclaimed. "How could I forget?"

Lucy observed the empty streets and buildings. There were very clear signs that the civilians had been evacuated.

 _This is where my adventure began._ She thought.

Memories of their first meeting played in her mind and that only made her more determined.

She met Natsu here once before and she was going to do it again.

She thought about the fire dragon slayer.

They were going to come back, no matter what.

"There," Lucy said as she saw everyone gathered into one spot. They were standing in two circles.

This was all part of the plan.

"Lucy's here!"

"All right!"

"We've been waiting for you!"

Happy placed Lucy onto the ground and hovered by her.

Cana came over to Lucy, "Hey Lucy, is this what you were talking about?"

"Exactly," Lucy confirmed. She changed into her Aquarius star dress as the ground shook under them. Acnologia was in the city, there was no doubt about that.

" _I do expect that at some point you will surpass me."_

"I hope you're right Anna," Lucy said to herself before she focused on the task at hand.

"All right everyone, let's put this plan into action!"


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever. That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 _ **(Natsu's POV)**_

 _Once again, Natsu stood in front of his father Igneel. The reunion brought him comfort, even if he was in some sort of dream._

 _Igneel had asked him to decide who he was: a dragon or a demon._

 _Natsu thought about it for a moment, before deciding to pick another option._

 _The only option for him at least._

 _He was human and he told his father that. His son's answer made him smile, he knew the correct answer._

 _Igneel was proud and stated two sentences that applied to Natsu wholeheartedly._

" _You were born through demonic power and raised by a dragon. You are human."_

 _Those sentences filled Natsu with confidence, for he was getting to make his own choice in the matter. He was going to pave his own way as who he knew he was._

I am **human**.

That's what he needed to remember.

Natsu let out a roar that echoed throughout the space between time and captured everyone's attention.

The other dragon slayers stalled their attacks.

He was ready, that meant that their parts in the plan were done.

Natsu stood up fully in his E.N.D. form. He could feel the power coursing through him, even more than when he fought Gray before. He had grown a single long red scaled dragon wing and he used this power of flight to propel himself towards Acnologia. Natsu attacked the dragon slayer and the dragon slayer responded in kind.

The impact of the collision caused a dramatic explosion, one that even pushed back the other dragon slayers.

Nonetheless, the environment called the space between time withstood the clash.

When the dust settled, Natsu and Acnologia were still standing. They stared each other down and Acnologia grinned maniacally. For the first time in this battle, Acnologia had sustained some damage to his form. Natsu's attacks were working and that exhilarated the Dragon King.

It was as if this had been what he was waiting for.

He grinned, "Now _this_ is what I am talking about, a true fight. One between me and the demon that I heard about so long ago. " Acnologia looked his foe up and down.

"Of course, there was a point where I thought E.N.D. was mere leg-"

He was interrupted by another attack, Natsu continued to attack Acnologia relentlessly. The unfortunate thing was that Acnologia seemed to be keeping up.

It was becoming clear that the fight between Natsu in his E.N.D. form and Acnologia was even. They were doing so much damage that the other dragon slayers had to remain alert in order to dodge any collateral damage.

Natsu grew frustrated at just how even this match was even in his E.N.D. form. He thought that by pushing it as far as he could without losing too much of his humanity, he would have enough power to go up against Acnologia.

He would possess enough power to beat Acnologia and protect the people that he cared about.

To avenge his father's death.

He thought about asking the other dragon slayers to temporarily send him all of their powers, but that still didn't seem like it would be enough.

 _Come on...Come on…._

As Natsu lost focus, he began to feel himself starting to slip. His grip on his humanity was getting looser and looser.

That's when an idea came to him, one that was definitely dangerous. There was no guarantee what could happen.

What Natsu _did_ know was that there was a high chance that going through with this idea would give him even more of an advantage.

He was still holding onto way too much of his humanity. He needed to let E.N.D. take over just enough until he had one shred of humanity left.

It was dangerous because the scale could tip just like that. One wrong move and he could go down a road that he couldn't return from.

Natsu sighed, he needed to give it a shot.

 _Okay, I'm letting go._

He felt the fire inside of him grow hotter and hotter. His mind drifted further and further away from everything he experienced in his life.

Being at the guild...

Going on adventures…

Everything that made him human was just holding on by a thread.

E.N.D. was now the dominant force.

The demonic Etherious shot towards Acnologia with a singular focus in mind: destroy him. Acnologia managed to block E.N.D.'s attack again, but just barely. He attacked the demon, but E.N.D. dodged it and the attack deepened a nearby crater.

There were no pauses or breaks between attacks. E.N.D never slowed down and Acnologia was beginning to get worn down as a result.

E.N.D.'s attacks were now instinctively curses and that contributed to Acnologia's loss of the upper hand. That and the fact that there was still a part of the dragon slayer that was human.

"This is absurd," Acnologia shouted as he fought with E.N.D. "A _demon_ is fighting me in order to defend humans and dragons. It is...unnatural!" He was pushed back by another attack from E.N.D.

"Regardless, I will not go down," he declared. "I will not let a demon defeat the king!

E.N.D shot towards Acnologia and vice versa.

The two fearsome powers collided once more and it resulted in another explosion. When the smoke cleared, E.N.D. was standing over Acnologia with its claw wrapped around his throat.

Acnologia let out a roar as he struggled against E.N.D. Natsu's guess was correct, this had led him to finally get an overwhelming advantage in this fight.

E.N.D. continued to tighten its grip around the Dragon King's throat and eventually killed him.

Acnologia had been defeated, but E.N.D. didn't stop there.

E.N.D let out a ferocious roar, before continually punching Acnologia over and over again.

That's when it became clear to his comrades - Natsu had completely lost control.

"Natsu that's enough," Sting shouted as he ran towards him along with everyone else. Their short lived relief at Acnologia finally being defeated was replaced with worry for their comrade's mental state.

Laxus got there first and wrapped his arms around the demon. He averted his eyes from the gruesome sight of what was left of Acnologia and pulled E.N.D. off of the body.

"Natsu get a hold of yourself," Laxus shouted, the pain was extraordinary, but he didn't let go. E.N.D. thrashed violently in Laxus's arms and let out a roar.

To them, it seemed as though E.N.D. had caused Natsu to become almost deranged. They needed to get through to him, even if they didn't know exactly how to diminish the hold E.N.D. had.

"Natsu come on!"

"Natsu!"

"Salamander, you know this is not who you are!"

" _You were born through demonic power and raised by a dragon. You are human."_

Though on the outside it seemed as if Natsu had lost control, his consciousness was still holding onto that tiny shred of humanity that he had left.

Hearing the voice of his father stoked those flames. The voices of his comrades calling out to him added fuel to the fire. The fire expanded rapidly as Natsu returned to his fully human state.

"Natsu please stop this, we're here for you."

He could hear Wendy's voice clearly now, but Natsu began to feel really heavy and...sleepy. He blinked a few times before passing out abruptly.

 _Screaming._

 _Crying._

 _Running._

 _Fire._

" _Natsu! Natsu!"_

 _Waking up to a man who claimed to be his brother looking down at him._

" _E.N.D was the most powerful demon that I created. The time will come when you will need to make a decision. To kill or let live. The choice will be yours."_

 _Screaming._

 _Crying._

 _Running._

 _Fire._

 _Lucy's voice...she's screaming._

" _Natsu! Natsu! Please stop this!"_

 _She's caught in the flames...burning._

" _Natsu!"_

Natsu gasped and opened his eyes. The faces of the other dragon slayers were the first things that he saw.

Natsu sat up quickly, "What happened? Where's Acnologia?"

They all looked at each other for a moment. Cobra was the one to finally speak.

"It's over, he's dead."

Natsu's eyes widened as the statement provided the trigger for it all to come back to him.

E.N.D.

The fight.

His humanity.

…...

His eyes fell on something that was only a few feet away from where he sat.

Acnologia.

Silently, Natsu got to his feet and walked over to the body.

He stood over the defeated dragon king with mixed feelings. On one hand, he was happy because he had achieved his goal. He had protected the people that he cared about and avenged his father's death. On the other hand, the body….

Natsu had done that...with a part of himself that he now wished he hadn't had to use. It was obvious even to Natsu, he went too far.

This was just overkill.

 _E.N.D…_

Natsu shut his eyes and shook his head.

 _I'm never going that far again. I'll rely on my own power._

Even if the fight became incredibly difficult, he vowed to never relinquish his humanity to this point ever again.

"Natsu...are you okay now?"

He opened his eyes, looked to the right, and saw Wendy looking up at him. The sky dragon slayer had a worried look on her face.

He nodded, "Yeah, I'm okay."

" _You must bear a strong will."_

Natsu nodded, he would.

"Whoa." Gajeel came over to join them, along with the others. Seeing the iron dragon slayer's mystified face, Natsu looked down. Soon enough, his face exhibited the same mystified expression.

Acnologia's body was...disappearing.

"What? Why is it ...where is he going?" Natsu asked Gajeel.

The iron dragon slayer frowned, "How the hell am I supposed to know?"

It didn't take more than a minute for Acnologia's body to disappear.

"You...are the new king."

Natsu shook his head, he thought he…

No, he was definitely hearing things.

All seven dragon slayers were now just staring at a piece of destroyed ground. It was like a meteorite had hit the ground instead of a collision between two powerful enemies.

"Great, what are we going to do now?" Cobra asked.

"He couldn't have been the only one to know how to get back," Sting replied. "I mean sure he brought us here but…"

"Maybe defeating him was the key," Rogue hypothesized. "Now we can-"

He was cut off by what felt like a massive earthquake. The entire ground began to shake violently and the world around them crumbled.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever. That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: Sorry for the very very long absence.**

 _ **(Lucy's POV)**_

Fear gripped their hearts as the docks in Hargeon were engulfed in flames.

Acnologia had destroyed the area in a single blow, and that included all of the ships docked there.

That element of their plan was no more.

"This ships…"

"They're all gone!"

"He destroyed them all? You're kidding!"

Everyone was thrown off by the destruction that they witnessed, and the dragon Acnologia appeared to find their alarm amusing.

"Instinct," Minerva explained. "He instinctively destroys what could be used against him."

Lucy racked her brain, trying to come up with a backup plan.

 _What were they going to do now? What else could they use?_

"The plan can still work! We'll make a boat using maker magic!"

As soon as the suggestion left his mouth, Gray took off towards the water along with Lyon and Juvia.

Erza and Mira ran over to Lucy.

"Lucy, get ready! Mira and I will lure Acnologia," she informed her.

Lucy nodded, "Got it!"

With their combined strength, Lyon, Juvia, and Gray created a massive sailboat made out of ice. It gleamed in the light as Lucy yelled for them to get Acnologia in the boat.

"Our preparations are complete," she declared before turning to the crowd. "Everybody, get ready!" They were going to need to work fast because it was highly likely that they were only going to get one shot at this.

Meanwhile, Erza and Mira dashed around the area, working to lure the dark dragon to the boat. To prove just how strong humans were, Erza even shot every weapon in her arsenal towards the dark dragon. She was successful, as the attack hit the dragon and threw him right into the boat.

This was thanks to Juvia using the water to angle the boat just right.

"Everyone release your magic power," Lucy commanded. She closed her eyes and saw the faces of several people who were important to her.

 _Aquarius_

 _First Master_

 _Master Makarov_

 _Anna_

 _Mama and Papa_

Seeing their faces gave Lucy the strength that she needed to protect the people that she loved from this...monster, and she was related to that monster.

Lucy's heart steeled with pure determination; she would rewrite history now.

"Fairy sphere," Lucy shouted.

 _Connect...Send it...Feel it…_

It was working, Lucy could sense it. The fairy sphere was encasing Acnologia, and the dragon was struggling against it. Lucy could feel her entire body shaking, but she continued to maintain her stance for as long as she could.

Unfortunately, that didn't stop the sphere from getting weaker and weaker.

The shaking got progressively worse as Lucy tried to stand firm, but it was becoming clear that they didn't have enough magic power. The weary celestial wizard fell to her knees.

"Lucy, keep going!"

Lucy turned and saw Meredy standing behind her. The pink-haired wizard helped her to her feet and showed Lucy the sensory link around her wrist.

"No way," Lucy commented.

"Meredy," Juvia called, happy to see her friend.

"Hey guys," she said. "Sorry I got here so late!"

"Mer-"

Meredy took Lucy's hands.

"Right now, you are linked to magic power from all over the continent," she assured the Fairy Tail wizard. "So many wanted to help, and I told them that this is what they could do. "

Lucy smiled, "Thank you, Meredy."

She released Lucy's hands as the Fairy Tail wizard felt an incredible surge of magic power overtake her. It could only be described as warm, that's what made it powerful beyond measure. Every single person was willing to work together against all the odds to defend the world that they loved.

Who they were or what guild they were from didn't matter in the slightest.

This time, they were all one.

Lucy closed her eyes and focused as she felt a tear roll down her cheek.

"Get him!"

"This is all the magic that we got!"

"All of the magic from every wizard on the continent!"

Lucy's eyes opened; it was time.

"Fairy Sphere!"

The sphere became stronger and stronger until the dark dragon exploded along with the ice boat. All of the particles disappeared into the wind, bringing peace to the ocean once again.

Everyone was stunned when they witnessed this. It had happened so fast.

It was almost...unbelievable.

"Acnologia just...broke apart," Mira stated.

"Was it Fairy Sphere?" Juvia asked.

As Lucy watched the swaying ocean waves where Acnologia had just been, she realized something amazing.

Both groups had been successful.

Happy and Lucy locked eyes.

"Did they..." Happy trailed off.

"I think they did," Lucy replied. That caused the exceed to cheer, jumping up and down with a smile on his face.

"They did it," Happy cheered.

Lucy smiled, "Yeah Natsu and the dragon slayers won!"

Once she announced that, the whole crowd broke out in cheers of their own. People were crying and hugging. They were filling the area with overwhelmingly positive feelings, a nice change after what they had experienced. Lucy laughed out loud as Happy flew into her arms.

Although one question came to mind: where were the dragon slayers now?

 _ **Crack!**_

A loud crack startled everyone as the sound shot through Hargeon. Many were looking around, some of them nervously, for the source of that sound.

That's when they saw it.

A crack had opened up in the sky, and the dragon slayers were falling through the resulting hole. Lucy was shocked when she looked up and saw Natsu coming towards her. He was definitely falling from that same hole, but it became clear where he was going to land.

Natsu was going to land right on top of her.

It was too late for Lucy to react. With Happy in her arms, she fell to the ground as Natsu fell right on top of her. She had prepared herself to feel pain from the impact of landing on the ground, especially the pain from her head hitting the ground. Surprisingly, Natsu had acted fast enough to put his hand behind her head to keep her from slamming her head against the surface. Thankfully he had been able to keep himself from falling on top of her and crushing Happy.

He removed his hand once she opened her eyes.

"Natsu," Happy exclaimed excitedly. Natsu grinned as he stared down at the two of them.

"Hey little buddy, I'm home," he said as Lucy smiled.

"Welcome home!"

Their exchange seem to die off after that. Even though they were finally together again, Lucy couldn't find the words to express how she was feeling.

Apparently, Natsu couldn't either.

Instead, the two of them just stared at each other with smiles on their faces. It looked like they had even forgotten what position they were in at the moment, with Natsu basically _sitting_ on top of Lucy.

That is...until Happy made his presence known.

"Hey, I'm here too!"

The exceed's statement successfully brought Lucy back to her senses, and she remembered where they were. She also realized what the position they were in could look like to the people around them.

Lucy released Happy, pushed Natsu off of her, and got to her feet. Natsu seemed to come to his senses just a moment after Lucy pushed him off of her. The difference with him was that he didn't seem to be very flustered unlike the celestial wizard.

The celestial wizard scolded herself for acting the way she had, especially since Natsu was finally standing in front of her again. She shouldn't be pushing him away from her.

She should be...

Lucy's eyes widened as she realized what she could do to express how she was feeling then and there.

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in for a hug.

He didn't react initially, so Lucy attempted to pull away. To her surprise, he pulled her back and wrapped his arms around her. He felt so warm. He felt like Natsu.

Lucy smiled; she knew he'd come back.

 _ **(Natsu's POV)**_

 **A/N: This is the same scene from above, just from Natsu's POV.**

As the world around them crumbled, a huge hole opened up in the ground. To the surprise of all of the dragon slayers, the hole opened up right under them. Before Natsu could react, he was falling through the air along with his comrades. Below him, he could see a large crowd of people. As he got closer and closer to the ground, Natsu recognized someone in particular.

Lucy was looking up at him, with Happy in her arms.

Shock was the only emotion on both of their faces.

Realizing that it was too late to keep from falling on her, he quickly slipped his hand around the back of her head as they fell to the ground. Natsu was glad that he managed to keep from falling directly on top of them. He was on his hands and knees over Lucy. After removing his hand from the back of her head, he looked down.

Natsu's eyes fell on Lucy's face, and he smiled.

He missed her. He missed her so much.

To keep himself from touching her face, he bawled his fists. Natsu figured that Lucy wouldn't react well to something like that, and he was just happy to see her.

He didn't want to make her upset.

"Natsu," Happy exclaimed, and Natsu's eyes fell on his best friend. Happy's voice caused Lucy to open her eyes as well.

"Hey, little buddy, I'm home," he said as Lucy smiled.

"Welcome home," she replied.

Neither of them said anything after that, and actually, Natsu was just fine with that. He was completely content with just staring at her, and that's precisely what he did.

One thing that he did forget was the fact that he was sitting on top of Lucy.

Or did he?

"Hey, I'm here too!"

Oops, he had to admit to himself that he had forgotten that Happy was there for a minute.

It took Lucy pushing him off of her for him to realize that he had been sitting on her. Lucy's face was completely red as he got to his feet. Honestly, he didn't understand why she was so worried. Everyone there had seen that he had fallen on top of her and Happy.

Was it because he didn't immediately get off of her? What could he do? He forgot.

Before he could say anything to her, Lucy's face changed, and she suddenly wore a determined look. Natsu was on guard a little bit at that point. He didn't know what she was going to do.

It turns out; she was determined to do something unexpected.

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him.

He was so stunned that it took his breath away. Evidently, he didn't react fast enough because she started to pull away.

In a flash, he pulled her back towards him and wrapped his arms around her. Natsu sighed; he couldn't help but feel content as he hugged her.

She was in his arms.

She was safe.

She smelled like Lucy.

He missed her.

"Oooo how romantic," Happy commented, and embarrassment took over Lucy once more. She pulled away from him and started yelling at the little blue exceed. Natsu just stood there watching them.

The two people that he cared about the most in this world were standing in front of him.

The people of the guild that he loved were celebrating all around him.

He grinned, he was home.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail whatsoever. That being said, welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: This is the final chapter of Unwritten, please enjoy and thank you for the continued support for this story:)**

 _ **(Lucy's POV)**_

 **One Year Later**

 _Lucy adjusted her dress for the millionth time._

 _There wasn't even anything wrong with the garment. She just couldn't help it; nerves were threatening to overtake the blonde celestial wizard._

 _Standing in the middle of this beautiful patio party with all of these well-dressed people, she should be used to this._

 _Wow, it had been a long time since she found herself at a party like this one._

 _This was no ordinary party anyway._

" _Can I have everyone's attention?"_

 _A tall man in a gray suit stood at the podium as everyone came closer to him. Lucy watched as he announced that he was awarding the Kemu Zaleon Literary Prize for best new novelist._

 _A woman in a sparkly gown came over to him. She handed him a trophy and a small white card._

" _The recipient is…"_

 _A silence fell over the party._

" _The author of The Adventure of Iris, Lucy Heartfilia!"_

 _Lucy smiled ear to ear as the audience broke out into applause and walked to the podium to receive her trophy. The man congratulated her and then moved aside to let her make her speech. She took one long look out at the crowd and saw everyone that she cared for celebrating her success._

 _Anna was there for one thing. She had ended up staying in their time and became a school teacher. She and Lucy did meet again and were able to keep in contact. When Lucy's ancestor saw her that night, she had a few words for her:_

 _"Congratulations, Lucy! There's a proper order to events that make one able to live on an author's salary."_

 _Lucy could only laugh politely._

 _Taking a deep breath, Lucy began her speech._

" _Thank yo-"_

 _She hadn't even made it past thank you before yelling began to invade the space. Lucy cringed as she recognized those voices. The entire audience turned to see Natsu and Gray fighting with each other._

" _You're asking for it, flame brain!"_

" _Try me, droopy eyes!"_

 _She could see where this was going, and she had to stop them._

" _Guys stop it," she shouted. Gray and Natsu turned to her. As a result, their attacks came flying towards her._

 _Lucy screamed, "No!"_

Lucy quickly opened her eyes and found herself staring at the ceiling of her apartment. She closed her eyes again for a second to gather herself.

"It can't all be a dream," she said. "That would be way too cliche."

 _It seemed so real._

She sat up but paused as she felt a stinging pain in her head.

 _A hangover?_

Her eyes fell on her dresser, directly across from where her bed was.

That's when she saw it-her _trophy_.

"Oh my gosh, it _was_ real," Lucy exclaimed.

"That's right."

Lucy turned and saw Natsu sitting lazily in an armchair next to her bed.

"Yo," he said.

"Natsu, you scared me," she cried, and then she grimaced as she was reminded of the headache that she had. Lucy was too loud for her own good. Natsu picked up a glass filled with purple liquid off of Lucy's side table.

"Here," Natsu said. "Mira brought it over for me to give to you. She said that it's a great hangover cure."

"Oh," Lucy replied. "Tell her I said thank you." She drank the liquid and felt the stinging pain in her head fade away.

 _Oh, wow, I feel much better._

"Hey Lucy, I made your trophy all shiny," Happy declared. Lucy whirled around to see that Happy had managed to leave scratches all over her trophy.

"Happy! You scratched it up," she whined.

"Oh, did I?" Happy asked.

Lucy huffed, placed the glass on her side table, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Why _are_ the two of you in my room anyway?" she inquired.

Natsu shrugged, "Why else? You completely passed out last night, and we had to take you home."

"So wait, you and Gray didn't actually attack me last night, right?" Lucy asked.

Natsu frowned, "Why would we do that?"

Happy giggled, "That didn't happen, but you sure were drunk, Lucy!"

"What," Lucy shouted in horror. "What did I do?" Seeing her panicked face, Natsu turned to Happy.

"Happy, maybe you shouldn't tell her anything about that," he suggested.

"No, tell me," Lucy insisted. She wanted to know how she embarrassed herself so she could find ways to remedy it—walking around with little to no idea of her actions the night before terrified her.

Happy and Natsu went into a detailed retelling of Lucy's night. First, she ended up begging Natsu to carry her home from the party, then she claimed he had to change her clothes due to her being too tired to do it herself. After that, she cuddled Happy to near death and dragged both of them into bed to sleep with her as her new stuffed animals.

Lucy was stunned, especially since she could see every scene clearly in her head.

She remembered it all!

Bursting into tears, Lucy ran to the corner of her room and curled up into a ball.

Her life was over!

"Now, I'll never walk down the aisle," she cried. As she rocked back and forth in her corner, she vaguely heard Natsu telling Happy to get ready for something. She didn't hear what exactly, and she didn't care at that moment.

Her grief at a husbandless life was too much.

Suddenly, she felt someone tap her on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Natsu standing above her with his hand-drawn. Sighing, she took his hand and got to her feet.

"But you can walk out and take a job with us, right?" Natsu asked with his signature grin.

Lucy didn't respond; she just stared at him instead. That's when everything came back to her.

All of the adventures that they had been on together.

How meeting him and Happy had changed the course of her life.

A crazy, reckless pink-haired fire dragon slayer had changed her life, and she had changed his.

Lucy felt a chill go down her spine as she remembered something she had learned so long ago. It had been a year, and she hadn't...she hadn't found the right time to tell him.

"I'm so sorry," Lucy said as tears rolled down her cheeks. Natsu looked alarmed by what he was seeing in front of him.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he searched her face. Lucy knew that he was confused and that he would only get more upset if she didn't tell him why she was crying.

"I..I am...I am a descendant of Acnologia," Lucy told him. "He and Anna had a child together. That child...continued on the Heartfilia family line, and now I'm here."

She didn't wait for Natsu to respond, she just kept going. She needed to tell him.

"I know it's stupid I...just...I wonder if he and Anna hadn't met then maybe things could've been different," she stated. "Because I can't help but wonder if I wasn't here, your father wouldn't have died. Maybe Acnologia would have never been the dark dragon, and you could have spent more time with your Dad."

For a while, the only sound in the room was Lucy's sniffles. Then Natsu did something that left her stunned. He hugged her.

She could feel his arms lock around her as he buried his head in her neck.

"Natsu?" she asked meekly. He pulled away from her, but still kept his hands on her shoulder. He sighed and dropped his head down before speaking.

"Lucy. Lucy. Lucy."

Then, he lifted his head up.

"I know," he answered. "I've known for a long time. Believe it or not, I can piece things together pretty well."

"But...but how?"

"He mentioned it when the other dragon slayers and I fought him," Natsu responded. "He said that Lucy Heartfilia would not exist without me."

Hearing that made Lucy burst into tears all over again.

That's when Natsu lost his composure.

"Oh, can you please stop crying," he yelled. "I hate it when you cry. I hate it when you beat yourself up over things that you can't control. I hate it when you act like you're the weakest and worst person ever to exist. I hate it because meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me!"

Lucy's eyes widened when she heard the last thing that he said.

" _I hate it because meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me!"_

"What?"

That was the only word that could escape her mouth.

"I know that I wouldn't be the person that I am today without you," Natsu assured her, looking Lucy directly in the eyes. She could see the emotion building in his gaze.

This time, it was Lucy's turn to hug the fire dragon slayer.

"Thank you," she said as she wrapped her arms around him. "I feel the same way." She felt Natsu's arms wrap around her when she tried to pull away.

Staring up at the dragon slayer, Lucy did something that she tried to tell herself was all due to the emotions flooding the room.

She got on her tippy-toes and kissed him on the cheek.

As soon as her lips touched his cheek, Lucy felt his skin start to get warmer. She found that she could pull away from him due to his arms falling limply to his sides. Looking at his astonished face, Lucy began to regret her actions.

Why had she done that without thinking?

"Natsu, I'm-"

She didn't get to finish her apology. Natsu had grabbed her arm, pulled her back towards him, and kissed her.

Lucy's eyes remained wide open.

She couldn't believe what was happening.

Natsu was kissing her and...she _didn't_ want to pull away.

Feeling a distinctly warm feeling in her stomach, Lucy closed her eyes and kissed him back.

For a minute, they just stood there in Lucy's room-kissing.

Unfortunately, they eventually had to break apart in order to breathe. When they did, Lucy saw how red and wide-eyed Natsu looked.

It was like he couldn't quite believe that he had just done that.

Lucy thought that she probably looked the same. In fact, she _knew_ she looked the same.

"Natsu, does that mean-"

"Hey, are you guys coming or not?"

Both Fairy Tail wizards turned to see Happy at the window. Lucy prayed that the exceed had just gotten there.

"Oh right yeah," Natsu recalled, hurriedly coming back to his senses. "We have a job."

"We _do_?" Lucy asked. That came out of left field.

"Yeah, Laxus gave us permission to go on a 100-year quest," Natsu announced. Natsu refused to call Laxus master, even if he was now the official master of the Fairy Tail guild.

Natsu grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards the front door.

"But Natsu, I need to pack!"

"We did it for you!"

"What about my shoes!"

"Just grab them on the way out and put them on when we meet everyone!"

In the commotion, Lucy couldn't help but think back on the kiss. She grumbled a bit, Natsu could think about something else so quickly. Did he even care what just happened?

Lucy scolded herself; she was overthinking things.

Honestly, she didn't even know what to make of it.

"Lucy."

Natsu still had his hand in hers, but he had stopped moving just as they got to the door.

"We're going to be together from now on right?" he asked. Seeing his face, Lucy realized that he had somehow read her mind like always.

She grinned, "Right!"

"Let's go," Happy called. Lucy grabbed her shoes, and Natsu pulled her out the door.

Together hand-in-hand, with Happy flying above, they ran towards the other smiling members of Team Natsu.

It was time to begin another adventure.

 ** _The End._**


End file.
